树洞贴

    shùdòngtiē

    Meaning: "树洞" means "tree hole," and "贴" is a "post." Tree hole in this term is a metaphor for a place to hide a secret. It's said that this metaphor came from a fairy tale, in which a king with ears in the shape of a donkey's forbids his hairdresser to tell this secret. The hairdresser, unable to share the secret, tells it to a tree hole before sealing the tree hole with mud. Today, many people post their secrets online anonymously. Some have found it stimulating to get feedback from others. Therefore, this term refers to anonymous posts on private subjects online.

    Example

    A: 你看什么津津有味的？

    Nǐ kàn shénme jīnjīn yǒuwèi de?

    What are you checking out?

    B: 网上的树洞贴，一个女生吐槽她约会的对象。她想分手但她妈不同意。

    Wǎngshàng de shùdòngtiē, yīgè nǚshēng tùcáo tā yuēhuì de duìxiàng。Tā xiǎng fēnshǒu dàn tā mā bù tóngyì。

    An anonymous online post in which a girl complains about her date. She wants a breakup but her mom wouldn't allow it.

    A: 这种事情家长还是别插手的好。

    Zhèzhǒng shìqíng jiāzhǎng háishì bié chāshǒu de hǎo。

    Parents had better not interfere in such things.