Popular word list shows hot topics for Chinese
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-31 09:10

A list of popular new words and expressions, published yesterday in Hong Kong, revealed the hottest topics - from sick pigs to international politics - that have been covered by the Chinese press in 2005.

The top five new words and expressions in Chinese are "entering the UN Security Council," "Fuwa," "EU Constitution," "Streptococcus suis" and "Lien-Hu Meeting," according to results of research by the City University of Hong Kong.

The five new words have been used most frequently over the year by the Chinese press in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei, according to a computer check.

"Entering UN Security Council" refers to Japan's drive for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, which has been opposed by many Chinese readers, said the university's Website.

"Fuwa" is the Chinese name of Beijing Olympic mascots, five dolls or icons bearing English names, and called the Friendlies.

"EU Constitution," in Chinese, came from the European Union's controversial effort to transform itself from an economic to a political body.

"Streptococcus suis" is the name of the pig pathogen that infected humans in Sichuan Province this year.

"Lien-Hu meeting" refers to the historical meeting between Hu Jintao, head of the Communist Party of China, and the Chinese Kuomintang party chief Lien Chan. Lien made the first trip as KMT chairman to the mainland since 1949 when the mainland and Taiwan split after a civil war.

"These new words reveal once more the hot topics in the individual cities and those that they share," said the university.

The Language Information Sciences Research Center of the university has collected new Chinese words from the Chinese press in China and Chinese-speaking countries such as Singapore since 2004.