Catch Phrase | 宕机(dàngjī)

Writer: Debra Li  |  Editor: Stephanie Yang  |  From: Shenzhen Daily  |  Updated: 2020-09-14

Meaning:

“宕,” which has the meaning of “suspension,” is the transliteration of the English word “down,” and “机” is short for “计算机” (jìsuànjī), which means “computer.” This term is basically used when a computer crashes, and you can often fix it by restarting the computer. It’s also used when a program or mobile app stops responding suddenly or, metaphorically, when a person is acting foolishly or fails to perform their normal job.

Example:

A: 你怎么在家长群里抢红包?那是大家交的孩子们的秋游费用。

Nǐ zěnme zài jiāzhǎng qún lǐ qiǎnghóngbāo?Nà shì dàjiā jiāo de háizimen de qiūyóu fèiyòng。

Why did you grab the red envelopes in the WeChat group of parents? The money is a fee to be collected for the kids’ fall outing.

B: 哎呀,我脑子宕机了,以为是我的大学同学群。

Aiya,wǒ nǎozi dàngjī le,yǐwéi shì wǒde dàxué tóngxué qún。

Oops, I was out to lunch. I thought it was the WeChat group of my college classmates.