草莓族

    cǎoméizú

    Meaning: "草莓" means "strawberry," and "族" refers to a group of people sharing similarities. Coined by Taiwan author Weng Jingyu in one of her books about office rules, the term has been widely used by mainlanders to refer to young people born after the 1980s. Like strawberries grown in greenhouses, these people look chic and sophisticated but are soft and get hurt easily. They seem unbearably spoilt and can't take much pressure.

    Example:

    A: 你弟弟工作怎么样？

    Nǐ dìdì gōngzuò zěnmeyàng?

    How is your younger brother's work?

    B: 他辞职了。

    Tā cízhí le。

    He has quit.

    A: 为什么？

    Wèi shénme?

    Why?

    B: 他说工作又累又无聊，还时不时被领导批评。

    Tā shuō gōngzuò yòu lèi yòu wúliáo, hái shíbùshí bèi lǐngdǎo pīpíng。

    He said the job was exhausting and boring. His boss also criticized him from time to time.

    A: 现在的年轻人很多是草莓族，表面上看起来光鲜亮丽，却承受不了挫折，工作时往往没什么定性。

    Xiànzài de niánqīngrén hěnduō shì cǎoméizú, biǎomiàn shàng kàn qǐlái guāngxiān liànglì, què chéngshòu bùliǎo cuòzhé, gōngzuò shí wǎngwǎng méi shénme dìngxìng。

    Many young people today are what people call the strawberry generation. They look smart, but get hurt easily. And they don't have the patience to keep a job.