Meaning:

    “二” means “second,” and “房东” means “landlord.” Roughly translated as “secondhand landlord,” this term refers to people who rent an apartment from the owner and then lease to other tenants to make money from the price difference. Some secondhand landlords rent an apartment to live in one room themselves and sublet the other rooms.

    Example:

    A: 你找到房子了吗？

    Nǐ zhǎodào fángzi le ma?

    Have you found an apartment?

    B: 找到了，离公司不远。

    Zhǎodào le, lí gōngsī bù yuǎn。

    Yeah. It’s not far from our company.

    A: 你自己住吗？

    Nǐ zìjǐ zhù ma?

    Will you live by yourself?

    B: 不是，和二房东一起住一个两居室。

    Bùshì, hé èrfángdōng yīqǐ zhù yīgè liǎngjūshì。

    No. I will share a two-bedroom apartment with my secondhand landlord.