Meaning:
“报复性” means “retaliatory,” and “消费” means “consumption.” This term, a new buzzword on Chinese media, refers to people’s willingness to splurge when lockdowns brought by the COVID-19 outbreak come to an end, as they want to make up for reduced spending during the outbreak. A survey by the Consumers Association of Jiangsu Province shows that nearly 90 percent of respondents say they will indulge in “retaliatory consumption” in the aftermath of coronavirus. Dining out, shopping and going to the movies came out on top of their wish list.
Example:
A: 城里很多饭馆又开业了，你去报复性消费了吗？
Chénglǐ hěnduō fànguǎn yòu kāiyè le，nǐ qù bàofùxìng xiāofèi le ma？
Many restaurants in town have reopened. Have you splurged a bit now that the lockdown is over?
B: 出去吃了两次，接下来我要报复性存钱了。
Chūqù chī le liǎngcì，jiēxiàlái wǒ yào bàofùxìng cúnqián le。
I went dining out twice, and now I’m considering cutting back on spending and saving money instead.