Catch Phrase | 跟风(gēnfēng)

Writer: Debra Li  |  Editor: Stephanie Yang  |  From: Shenzhen Daily  |  Updated: 2020-06-11

Meaning:

“跟” means “to follow,” and “风” means “wind,” which can also be used as a metaphor for “trend.” A term more often seen in a negative light, “following the wind” in Chinese describes the behavior of those who imitate others and follow what’s popular at the moment without thinking independently about what they really want. In English slang, we call such people “sheeple.”

Example:

A: 最近很多促销,你有没有网购什么东西?

Zuìjìn hěnduō cùxiāo,nǐ yǒuméiyǒu wǎnggòu shénme dōngxi?

There are a lot of sales promotions these days. Did you buy anything online?

B: 我买了几条阔腿牛仔裤。

Wǒ mǎi le jǐtiáo kuòtuǐ niúzǎikù。

I bought a few pairs of bell-bottomed jeans.

A: 我感觉阔腿裤不太适合小个子,买衣服还是不要跟风的好。

Wǒ gǎnjué kuòtuǐkù bútài shìhé xiǎogèzi,mǎi yīfú háishì búyào gēnfēng de hǎo。

I think bell bottoms are not friendly to short girls. It’s better not to follow the trend blindly when buying clothes.