Popular Word - “土豪，我们做朋友吧！”Rich, But Unpopular and Poor in Taste

“土豪”一词由来已久。而前不久在网络上，很多人都争相和“土豪”做起了朋友，“土豪金”等衍生词也一跃成为网络热词。下面就让我们一起解读中西“土豪”文化吧！

One of the hottest buzzwords in China right now is no doubt tuhao, a sarcastic, light-hearted term referring to rich people of little education, bad taste or lacking self-awareness.
眼下，中国最热门词汇非“土豪”莫属。这是一个带有讽刺和戏谑意味的词，指的是那些受教育不多、品味差且不自觉的富人们。

This is yet another example of smart Chinese Internet users applying their creativity to an aged phrase and giving it new life and meaning. The term, which literally means “country bully”, has been around since ancient times, when it was used to refer to rich and powerful rural landlords who defied laws and maltreated their tenants and peasants. In the age of class struggle, tuhao were among the worst enemies of the working class.
这回，中国网友再次发挥了聪明才智、别出心裁地为这个老词注入新的生命和含义。“土豪”一词由来已久，其字面意思指的是乡匪恶霸，曾统指那些有钱有势、目无王法、剥削佃户和农民的地主们。在阶级斗争时代，土豪是工人阶级最大的敌人之一。

Similar to the many rags-to-riches stories in human history, many Chinese billionaires who are on the global rich list do not come from well-educated or prestigious backgrounds. Rather, they achieved financial success through powerful connections, smart investments, and by riding out China’s economic miracle. Many of them don’t shy away from throwing their money around.
同人类史上众多白手起家的故事一样，很多登上全球富豪榜的中国富豪受教育程度不高，也没有显赫的身世。尽管如此，但他们通过强大的人脉，精明的投资并借助中国式经济奇迹的东风，最终获得成功。他们中的很多人可谓挥金如土。

As a result, a term that was popularized in the gaming world has now also been introduced into daily conversation. Now, the term is widely considered to mean “vulgar, tasteless, rich people”.
因此，一个网游流行词汇就这样被引入了日常语言之中。现在，该词泛指那些“举止粗俗，毫无品位可言的富人们”。

Trendy, young Internet users, who see themselves as the opposite of tuhao — not wealthy, but well-educated and cultured — have further popularized the term by using it in various comic situations, at prominent news events, or coining new catch phrases with it.
时尚的年轻网友们把自己看做是“土豪”的反义词——没钱，却有文化有教养。他们将这些运用到各种漫画场景以及新闻头条中，并创造出一系列热门口头禅，这下，“土豪”大火特火。

For example, the phrase “let’s be friends, tuhao,” went viral after it appeared in an online joke ab0ut a conversation between a rich young man and a wise monk.
例如，“土豪，我们做朋友吧！”这句话最初出现在一个年轻富豪对话聪明和尚的网络段子里，随即引发网友疯传。

(Source:21st century)

重点词汇 Key Words:

土豪tǔ háo
Rich, But Unpopular and Poor in Taste

讽刺fěng cì
sarcastic

品味差pǐn wèi chà
bad taste

别出心裁bié chū xīn cái
creative

字面意思zì miàn yì sī
literal meaning

热捧rè pěng
to gain popularity