掏空族

    tāokōngzú

    Meaning: The term refers to those who always work overtime and have no time for further education and training, or entertainment, or rest. They feel they have become "hollow" because they are burning out their knowledge, energy and enthusiasm they had accumulated in the past, say, some 20 years of schooling. There was a pouplar Chinese song with the title of "感觉身体被掏空" ("I Feel My Body Is Being Hollowed Out").

    Example:

    A: 你姐姐还那么忙吗？

    Nǐ jiějiě hái nàme máng ma?

    Are your elder sister still that busy?

    B: 她决定不当掏空族，给自己放假了。

    Tā juédìng bù dāng tāokōngzú, gěi zìjǐ fàngjià le。

    She decided that she doesn't want to be a "hollowed-out shell of a person" and is giving herself a vacation.

    A: 你是说她从原来的公司辞职了？

    Nǐ shì shuō tā cóng yuánlái de gōngsī cízhí le?

    You mean she quit her job?

    B: 是的，她打算休息两个月，然后开个咖啡店。

    Shì de, tā dǎsuàn xīuxī liǎnggè yuè, ránhòu kāi ge kāfēidiàn。

    Yeah. She will take two months off and open a small coffee shop.