중국어 신조어와 ‘80後’의 문화 小考

Abstract

China has been experiencing a series of changes after gradually opening up its society. Such changes have now seeped into almost every sector of the society, leading to overall change. While the political system has been maintained without much change, the structure of life for Chinese has undergone a shift, especially in the sectors related to industry or the economy. The Chinese have adopted capitalism in their own way, leading to fast growth in their industries. Those who were born in the 1980s amidst such change (so-called the post-80s generation) are now playing a major role in Chinese society. Understanding this generation can help understand some of the most important phenomena in today’s China. Therefore the language used by this generation is in particular meaningful as language often reflects the society it is used in. This study focuses on the newly created words arising from the lifestyles of the post-80s generation to better understand how the China’s move towards a more open society over the past three decades have brought about changes. The work culture and consumption styles of the post-80s generation are also showing some collective characteristics. As such, a review of newly created Chinese words related to this generation is expected to increase understanding of the overall Chinese society and Chinese culture of today.