The hottest word to ooze through China in 2013 was haze, penetrating the national consciousness at the beginning of the year and keeping a chokehold until the end. A quarter of the nation's area has suffered from haze, affecting nearly half of the Chinese population. Haze wasn't the only target of wicked wordplay - the new rich, the unlucky in love and people who fall outside gender norms were also favorite victims. Two Cents brings you 10 trendy new words that capture the spirit of 2013.

Haze from all sides

shí miàn mái fú

十  面   霾   伏

Originally, it meant an ambush by an enemy from all sides. Now, the haze is the enemy. According to academician Zhong Nanshan, haze is even more horrible than SARS because the latter can be prevented by isolation, while air exists everywhere and no one can escape.

Rich middle-aged women

dà   mā

大   妈

The term dama has been popular since April 2013, when international gold prices plunged. A number of Chinese middle-aged women bought gold in vast amounts at this opportunity, which attracted the public's attention. A large number of dama are travelling all the way from China to places like Jeju Island, South Korea, and San Francisco, USA, paying in cash for property and driving up prices. Experts say this phenomenon shows the improvement of living standards in China.

Rich redneck

tǔ   háo

土  豪

Previously it referred to Chinese landlords or local tyrants in rural areas. Later, video gamers called those who spent a lot of money on virtual property like game equipment tuhao. In real life, it is used to satirize people who like purchasing handbags, cars and digital products to show off. Some people call those who freely spend money tuhao. In the movie The Great Gatsby, the protagonist is a real tuhao. A witty microblog post retweeted by millions of people said, "Tuhao, let's be friends." Tuhao and dama are going to be included in the Oxford English Dictionary.

To cut someone some slack

rén  jiān   bù   chāi

人  艰   不   拆

It's from singer Yoga Lin's song "Lies" in which he sings, "Life has been so hard so some things are better not exposed." This now means that life is difficult, so people should support each other, rather than seek mutual destruction.

Unmoved but even splash

bú   dòng rán  pō

不  动   然   泼

It is used to describe sad endings of courtships. On October 11, a boy from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics courted a girl by placing candles spelling "I Love You" outside her dormitory building. Unfortunately, the girl wasn't moved. She splashed the boy with a whole basin of water and even threw the basin down on his head.

Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

Too tired to love

 lèi   jué   bú    ài

累  觉   不   爱

It comes from an Internet post written by a 13-year-old boy who was disappointed in love and said he was too tired to fall in love again. This shocked people in their twenties and thirties. Now it can also be used to express disappointment when facing setbacks.

Confused but feeling awesome

bù  míng jué    lì

不  明   觉   厉

The phrase can reflect the worship a freshman feels toward a professor who gives an opinion that sounds very profound, meaning, "Although I don't quite get it, I think you are really terrific." Sometimes, when someone says something unintelligible, people use this phrase to show they are puzzled.

No dating makes one homosexual

bù   yuē   ér   tóng

不  约   而   同

Originally, it meant people who happen to take the same action or view without prior coordination. Now it is a humorous saying that means a person may become gay because they went too long without dating. Usually people say this to urge their unmarried friends to date.

Wo-man

nǚ   hàn   zi

女  汉   子

It refers to females whose actions and personalities are masculine.

For example, they may be rude, straightforward and highly individual, which the public considers to be unfeminine. They seldom wear make up, cut their own hair, are good at playing computer games and have many male friends. Most important of all, they don't have a boyfriend. Some even call nühanzi the third group between men and women.

Although usually people don't like to be called this, in most cases nühanzi is a commendatory term because it praises individualism.

Delighted to become a father

 xǐ  dāng diē

喜  当   爹

An Internet slang term which means a girl you have loved for a long time finally accepts you, because she's pregnant with another man's baby but the father has spurned her. You still feel delighted to accept the girl and take the responsibility to raise the child.

Understood another way, it means the girl only regards you as a fallback and just wants to find a father for her child.