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2012 in review: character and word of the year

For the seventh time, an online poll in China is identifying the most significant Chinese characters and words of the past year. According to an online survey by China’s Ministry of Education and ...

According to an online poll conducted by China’s Ministry of Education with other organizations, China’s character of the year is “梦”. The word of the year is Diaoyudao (钓鱼岛), the international character of the year is “衡”—“to weigh, to assess”—and the international word of the year is “elections” (选举).

 

Experts note that “dream” became character of the year because many aspirations of the Chinese people came true in the outgoing year: Olympic victories, achievements in space, the arrival of a Chinese aircraft carrier, and the Nobel Prize awarded to writer Mo Yan. The choice of the disputed Diaoyudao archipelago as word of the year reflects how sensitive Chinese people are to issues affecting their country’s sovereignty.
 
Lists of the 10 new words and 10 most frequently used words in the media, and the 10 most popular Internet words, were also published.
 
The “10 new words and phrases mentioned in the media in 2012” included positive energy; families that have lost their only child; eagle dad (known for his particularly harsh methods of raising his son); the Chinese way of crossing the road (when enough people gather at a traffic light and start crossing without waiting for green); the Mo Yan craze; and others.
正能量、失独家庭、鹰爸、元芳体、表哥、莫言热、弹性延迟、甄嬛体、骑马舞、中国式过马路
 
The “10 most frequently used words and phrases in the media in 2012” were the 18th CPC National Congress, Diaoyudao, beautiful China, the London Olympics, learn from Lei Feng, Shenzhou 9, the real economy, the major election year, the Syrian crisis, and positive energy. 
十八大、钓鱼岛、美丽中国、伦敦奥运、学雷锋、神九、实体经济、大选年、叙利亚危机、正能量
 
Among the most popular Internet words and phrases of 2012 were the singing competition “The Voice of China”; “高帅富，白富美” (successful, attractive young men and women); “你幸福吗” (the question “Are you happy?”, asked of people on the street, and the reply of one passerby who thought he had been asked “Is your surname Fu?”, which inspired numerous Internet jokes; see the video below); “江南Style” (“Gangnam Style”); and others.
 

China is choosing its character and phrase of the year for the seventh time.

Characters of the year in previous years:
2011 — «控»
2010 — «漲»
2009 — «被»
2008 — «和»
2007 — «涨»
2006 — «炒»
 

 

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