Top 10 media buzzwords of 2020 released

Referring to people who stand up during times of difficulty, “heroes in harm’s way” can be used to describe the frontline medical workers and ordinary people who made contributions to China’s battle against the novel coronavirus. (Photo/Xinhua)

Chinese National Language Monitoring and Research Center unveiled the top 10 media buzzwords of 2020 on December 4.

The top 10 words and expressions are based on a corpus of Chinese characters selected from various sources such as discussion forums, news websites, and blogs.

Here are 2020’s top 10 buzzwords:

Heroes in harm’s way

Referring to people who stand up during times of difficulty, this term can be used to describe the frontline medical workers and ordinary people who made contributions to China’s battle against the novel coronavirus.

First cup of bubble milk tea in autumn

Although the idea of buying milk tea for a friend to mark the day has no ancient origins, it began to trend on social media when a group of Chinese people offered to pay for a friend’s bubble milk tea on September 22, the Autumn Equinox according to the Chinese traditional calendar.

Live streaming commerce

Referring to the introduction of products through making live videos or broadcasts, live streaming commerce has been proven effective in boosting consumption, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when traditional brick-and-mortar shops were closed.

Viewing the progress of something in real time

During the construction of two makeshift hospitals in Wuhan to treat patients infected with COVID-19, millions of Chinese netizens tuned in to watch the progress in real-time. Becoming widely popular, this term now refers to viewing the progress of various things online in real-time.

"Clear your plate" campaign

Referring to a nationwide campaign against wasting food in China, this phrase became popular to support the message.

Aoligei

Having a similar meaning to “geili” (cool or awesome), the word “aoligei” is created by reading the word “geili'ao” in reverse, which means to “cheer up” or “keep going.” “Aoligei” became popular after being used on a video-sharing platform and is now often used to cheer up someone around us.

Haojiahuo

The buzzword “haojiahuo” is frequently heard in comedic dialogue, often used to express shock or awe of something, and can be used as a derogatory to express something as undesirable.

Win the championship

Following the screening of the movie Leap ("Win the Championship" in Chinese), this term took off in popularity as the indomitable spirit of a Chinese women’s volleyball team displayed in the movie represents the spirit of the nation.

Bu yue er tong (coincidentally)

“Bu yue er tong” refers to moments when people coincidentally make the same choices as others without discussing the decision to do so beforehand. When the country was in the fight against the novel coronavirus, this was often used to describe the phenomenon when almost all Chinese people canceled gatherings.

Jimei

Originating from the internet, during a live streaming show an influencer wrongly pronounced the Chinese word “jie mei” (meaning “sister” in English) as “ji mei.” This accidental mispronunciation coined the term “jimei,” becoming a casual way to refer to our friends.