Catch Phrase | 文具咖(wénjùkā)

Writer: Debra Li  |  Editor: Stephanie Yang  |  From: Shenzhen Daily  |  Updated: 2022-03-28

Meaning: 

“文具” means stationery, which includes paper, pens and other materials used for writing, most often used by students and office workers. “咖” refers to “a type of people” as in “大咖” (dàkā, meaning “a big shot.”) Therefore, this term is coined by Chinese netizens to refer to those students who buy a lot of stationery but are not interested in learning. Some people say that buying a lot of stationery is a psychological compensation for reluctance to focus on one’s studies.

Example:

A: 你弟弟有好多漂亮的笔和笔记本,他一定很爱学习吧。

Nǐ dìdì yǒu hǎoduō piāoliang de bǐ hé bǐjìběn,tā yīdìng hěn ài xuéxí ba。

Your younger brother has a lot of nice pens and notebooks. He must be a keen learner.

B: 根本不是。他是个文具咖,学习成绩并不好。

Gēnběn búshì。Tā shì ge wénjùkā,xuéxí chéngjì bìng bùhǎo。

Not at all. He is a big fan of new stationery, but his academic performance is not so good.