Catch Phrase | 充话费送的(chōnghuàfèi sòngde)

Writer: Debra Li  |  Editor: Stephanie Yang  |  From: Shenzhen Daily  |  Updated: 2020-11-19

Meaning:

“充话费” means “to prepay mobile service fees,” and “送的” refers to “a free gift.” Because competition is fierce in the Chinese telecom service market, some mobile carriers offer prepaid services that come with a phone as a free gift. That is, if the user deposits a certain amount of money as prepaid fees, they can get a free phone. Chinese netizens use this term to mean “a free gift, something thought as not valuable and therefore not treasured.”

Example:

A: 今天学校组织去动物园玩,你给孩子准备了什么便当盒?

Jīntiān xuéxiào zǔzhī qù dòngwùyuán wán,nǐ gěi háizi zhǔnbèi le shénme biàndānghé?

The school has planned an outing to the zoo today. What lunchbox have you prepared for your kid?

B: 我给他买了一袋面包,一盒牛奶。

Wǒ gěi tā mǎile yīdài miànbāo,yīhé niúnǎi。

I’ve got him some bread and a box of milk.

A: 蔬菜水果都没有,你这孩子是充话费送的吗?

Shūcài shuǐguǒ dōu méiyǒu,nǐ zhè háizi shì chōnghuàfèi sòngde ma?

You haven’t prepared any vegetables or fruit. Is your kid a free gift from the mobile carrier?