Catch Phrase | 赛博朋克(sàibó péngkè)

Writer: Debra Li  |  Editor: Stephanie Yang  |  From: Shenzhen Daily  |  Updated: 2021-03-09

Meaning:

This Chinese term is the transliteration (loanword) of the English term “cyberpunk,” which, in science fiction circles, refers to a genre that often features countercultural antiheroes trapped in a dehumanizing high-tech future. Its roots extend back to the technical fiction of the 1940s and ’50s, but it was years before it matured. The word was coined by writer Bruce Bethke, who wrote a story with that title in 1980. He created the term by combining “cybernetics,” the science of replacing human functions with computerized ones, and “punk,” the raucous music and nihilistic sensibility that became a youth subculture in the 1970s and ’80s.

Example:

A: 你有什么赛博朋克风格的电影或者剧集推荐吗?

Nǐ yǒu shénme sàibó péngkè fēnggé de diànyǐng huòzhě jùjí tuījiàn ma?

Do you have any cyberpunk-style movies or shows to recommend?

B: 《爱,死亡和机器人》你看过吗?可以试试。

《ài ,sǐwáng hé jīqìrén》nǐ kànguò ma?Kěyǐ shìshì。

Have you watched “Love, Death & Robots?” You can give it a try.