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促狭(cō kē) (Shanghainese phrase)
Tricky, mean, sinister, vicious, hard to deal with
Many say this is another pidgin English term widely used by Shanghai locals. This term, 促狭(co ke), sounds very similar to the English word "trick" and shares some meanings of the word "tricky."
The Shanghainese phrase is now almost always used with a derogatory connotation. It may be used to describe a person who is mean and tricky. It may also be used to depict a move made by your opponent which makes it very difficult for you to respond or counteract, such as in play of chess. So, you may say he or she has made a 促狭(co ke) move.
When 促狭(co ke) is used to describe remarks and texts, it means they are malicious or have a double meaning.
However, occasionally, the phrase can be used among close friends in a playful and lighthearted manner. For instance, if your friend pulls your leg in a mischievous manner, you may say: "You are so 促狭."
腻心(nǐ xīn)(Shanghainese phrase)
Dirty, filthy, nauseating, disgusting, revolting
When a native Shanghainese sees something thatís filthy or disgusting, he would call it 腻心(ni xin). The first character in the Shanghai dialectic phrase means literally "oily," "icky" or "fed up." The second character means the "heart." So, if you feel that something is "icky" or "fed up" in your heart, it must be disgusting in one way or the other.
However, this phrase may also be used to describe a person if he or she is wearing very dirty clothes or clothes of disgusting taste, or acting in an unpleasant and revolting manner. In such cases, one may say, "He's such a 腻心person."
慢城(màn chéng)
slow city
The term refers to a city featuring less traffic, noise and a small population which allows its residents to live a healthy life at a slow pace. The term emerged after towns in Italy jointly launched the Slow Cities movement to search for cities that meet certain criteria around the world. A total of 135 cities that included China’s Gaochun County in Jiangsu Province have been designated as a slow city so far.
阶梯电价(jiē tī diàn jià)
tiered pricing for household electricity
The term refers to a new electricity pricing mechanism being planned in China as the country’s latest move to save energy. Residents will be categorized into different groups according to their electricity usage volume and each group will be charged on a different basis.
千年极寒(qiān nián jí hán)
coldest winter in 1,000 years
Polish meteorologists predicted countries in the Northern Hemisphere will embrace the coldest winter in 1,000 years due to the effect of the climate phenomenon La Nina. But the prediction was denied by The World Meteorological organization as it is not backed up by authoritative and robust scientific evidence.