China's 2024 recap in 10 new lexicons

The top 10 new lexicons in 2024 in China were unveiled Tuesday by the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center, offering a glimpse into this year's economic, social, and cultural trends.

The list includes phrases such as ultra-long-term special treasury bonds, youth night schools, Origin Wukong — China's independently developed third-generation superconducting quantum computer — and banweier, which means the office worker vibe in English literally.

2024 was a year of self-discovery and cultural revival, the center said in annotations for these buzzwords.

Young professionals humorously lament their "workplace vibe", or banweier in Chinese, which refers to the fatigue of working life and the inescapable "smell" of a seasoned office worker.

However, they remain hopeful for the future and are often drawn to intriguing new trends, which is described as a spirit that can be summarized by another one of the 10 buzzwords — "hard control".

"Youth night schools" have emerged as vibrant spaces offering nightlife experiences combining knowledge, art, and culture for the younger generation.

This year, the Ministry of Finance issued the "ultra-long-term special treasury bonds", injecting fresh momentum into China's economic growth.

Meanwhile, the "two new" policies refer to upgrading equipment and promoting consumption through trade-in programs, which stimulate economic development and support the country's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, according to the center.

2024 also saw scientific and technological breakthroughs and transformation. The launch of "Origin Wukong", China's independently developed third-generation superconducting quantum computer, marked a milestone in cutting-edge technology.

In addition, the operation of the "Fuxi No 1" wind power-fishery integrated project in Shanwei, Guangdong province, has contributed to restoring marine ecosystems and expanding applications of green energy.

The selection of the top 10 new lexicons was based on linguistic data of over 1 billion Chinese characters from Jan 1 to Nov 30, drawn from 15 major newspapers, 12 television stations, seven radio stations, and two leading online portals nationwide, according to the center.