啃老族 (kĕn lăo zú) Parent-dependent Adults & 草根 căogēn Grass Roots

啃老族 (kĕn lăo zú) Parent-dependent adults

What does it mean?

啃老族(kĕn lăo zú) refers to a group of adults who have a common feature: They stay at home instead of searching for jobs. This group is also called NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) in U.K. “啃(kĕn)”means “gnaw,” here it is used to vividly describe the group’s reliance on their parents. “老”means “the old, the aged.” Overall, 啃老族(kĕn lăo zú) means “those people who don’t work and totally live off their parents.”

Who are they?

啃老族(kĕn lăo zú) is mainly made up of the following groups: some are 大学毕业生(dàxué bìyèshēng) university graduates who don’t want to work or are too picky with the job choices, people who often 跳槽(tiàocáo) change jobs, and people who are 失业(shīyè) jobless.

Examples:

Yuè lái yuè duō de qīngnián jiārù dào bú shàngxué yòu bù gōngzuò de kĕn lăo zú.
越  来   越   多  的  青年    加入  到   不   上学    又   不   工作    的   啃 老 族。
More and more young people who neither go to school nor go to work have joined the group of  Parent-dependent adults.

草根 (căogēn):Grass roots

草根(căogēn) literally means “grass roots.” But nowadays, it becomes a symbol of culture. 草根(căogēn) is usually used to define something coming from 基层(jīcéng) the basic level group and 大众(dàzhòng) the masses. These things are spread among common people and have their own status in the society. They are opposite to 主流文化(zhŭliú wénhuà) mainstream culture and 精英文化(jīngyīng wénhuà) elite culture. Mostly, 草根(căogēn) is used with another word, such as 草根明星(căogēn míngxīng)a star from the masses,草根总统(căogēn zóngtŏng)a president with a common background.

Examples:

Nà gè căogēn zuòjiā hĕn shòu rénmen huānyíng.
那 个  草根    作家     很    受     人们      欢迎。
The grass-root writer is very popular.


General Chinese (Beginner Level) 
General Chinese (Intermediate Level) 

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