Chinese vocabulary notes (October 2021)

Do you have the habit of making notes when studying Chinese? Since this blog is primarily about learning Mandarin and sharing knowledge (for what it’s worth), I’ll just might as well share my Chinese vocabulary notes here. What are these notes? Well, I watch Chinese content and to challenge myself a little I make notes of those words that seem most relevant to me.

Afu – renting an apartment in Shanghai!

I guess most Chinese learners who watch Chinese YouTube content have heard of “Afu” Thomas, the guy from Germany who married a woman from Shanghai and has been living in this insane mega-city since 2016. In China, he’s an internet celebrity who gets recognized on the street. In Germany, he appeared in talkshows, met with the Federal President and published a book about his experiences with his Chinese family.

In other words, Afu is quite a character, but most of all, he’s a prolific Youtuber who publishes new videos on a weekly basis. Many of them – like this one here – concern different aspects of life in Shanghai: is it better to rent or to buy an apartment in Shanghai? What are the costs? In this video, he interviews several seemingly random people who rent a place in Shanghai and all have their own story to tell. Afu always tackles interesting topics, challenges himself and people open up to him to share their thoughts.

Key vocabulary

Finding an apartment to rent in Shanghai, judging from this video, (for a reasonable price and located somewhat favorably) is really tough. Many people here seem to be in a “make or break” situation where things just have to work out or else… Especially young people are eager to make their success in Shanghai, even when this means living in a tiny one-room apartment.

Key sentences

Mandarin Corner – Live Streaming in China is Exploding!

I’ve posted about Mandarin Corner before and really enjoy their content. This video is about the booming livestreaming sector in China. This online phenomenon still hasn’t come to the attention of most people outside of China, but it’s huge! And it’s not only about shopping too! In this podcast episode, Aileen and her guest discuss try to explain why 直播 has become so popular and which types of livestreaming are popular with which audience.

• 虎牙 hǔyá (a name of a live streaming platform)
• 斗鱼 dòuyú (a name of a live streaming platform)
• 熊猫TV xióngmāo (a name of a live streaming platform)
• 映客 yìngkè (a name of a live streaming platform)

Key vocabulary

I learned there are several sorts of 直播, 美女直播 and 游戏直播 being most popular with the boys. You may have heard about 吃播 where livestreamers eat huge quantities of food. One 19-year-old dude even “bit the dust” due to his extreme 吃播 lifestyle which included “high-carbohydrate, high-calorie and oily food” and lack of sleep. 整容 直播 , plastic surgery livestreaming, also seems to be a thing.

Why do people watch this kind of stuff? According to this podcast, it’s a mixture of boredom and loneliness. I’d definitely add a lack of a sense of meaning to that. Meaningful relations, a meaningful profession, you know the thing. I mean why do people spend so many hours on their phone, even after work? On the other hand, this livestreaming is a technological miracle as well.

Key sentences

ActNormal – 30 days social media detox

The main negative impact from using social media – according these girls – is that you start to envy almost everybody else. “They are leading the perfect life, why can’t I?” Secondly, spending time on social media leads to buying lots of unnecessary stuff. They address several of these social media related problems and share tips to free yourself and cultivate healthier habits. Not something I’d normally watch, but interesting nonetheless, because they introduce hipster (minimalist, anti-consumerism) lifestyle ideas to a Chinese (mainly female, slightly upper-class) audience who are looking for more fulfilled and productive lives.

攀比心理 is something I somewhat recognize from my own usage of social media, for example when I see some Facebook friend traveling in a warm country while I’m at home “in lockdown”. You simply can’t help comparing your sad situation to this other person who seems to having be the time of his life. 手机上瘾 is another keyword in this whole discussion.

That’s it for this month! Let’s see what November brings. Feel free to leave a comment down below!

Graded Chinese readers

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