土豪 [tu hao]

In Chinese, "tu" means uncouth and "hao" means rich. "Tuhao" has traditionally been used to refer to wealthy landlords who bullied their tenants before the establishment of the People's Republic of China, but it now represents China's nouveau riche who have more money than taste and splash it in an unchecked manner.

Tuhao love fancy designer logos, ostentatious clothing, jewelry and luxury cars. Flaunting wealth with everything from gold-plated iPhones to gilded cars, tuhao have become the main target of ridicule on the China blogosphere.

A famous online joke about Tuhao goes: A young man asks a Zen master, "I'm wealthy, but unhappy. What should I do?" The Zen master says: "Define being wealthy." The young man answers:"I have millions in the bank and three apartments in central Beijing. Is that wealthy?" The Zen master silently holds out a hand. The young man says: "Master, are you telling me that I should be thankful and give back?" The Zen master says, "No ... Tuhao, can I become your friend?"

While Chinese netizens have made fun of the Tuhao's garish tastes and uncultured behaviors, "tuhao" phenomenon has attracted global attention. The media has reported that the Oxford English Dictionary is considering adding the Chinese word to its 2014 edition.

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