In just two months, the latest buzzword from the Internet, diaosi, has spread so much that it can be found everywhere–from online forums to micro blogs. Many people even call themselves diaosi. It’s not the first time a term has gone viral on the Internet in China. However, why is the word diaosi so popular that it has become a cultural phenomenon? Here, we tell you everything you want to know about it.
仅两个月时间，最新网络流行语“屌丝”已传播如此之广，从论坛到微博上随处可见。很多人甚至自称屌丝。在中国，这已不是首次某一词汇走红网络了。然而，为什么“屌丝”一词如此大受欢迎，以至于已成为一种文化现象？这里，我们为你一一解惑。

Where it began
“屌丝”的起源

The word originated in the Baidu.com’s Tiebar (a top Chinese bulletin board system) of soccer player Li Yi. There, fans of Li, who are called yisi in Chinese, not only talk about soccer but moan about their lives, work and relationships.
该词起源于足球运动员李毅的百度贴吧（国内知名的BBS）。李毅的球迷“毅丝”们在贴吧里不仅谈论足球，还抱怨自己对生活、工作与感情的不满。

Yisi, who are known for their rude and dirty language, were given the name diaosi by others who have seen their posts.
“毅丝”以语言粗鲁，脏话连篇而闻名，看过他们帖子的人便给他们起了“屌丝”这一称号。

What is a ‘diaosi’ like
“屌丝”什么样？

The word diaosi was coined first by single, young men who feel they have dead-end lives. Generally, men in this category don’t earn enough, are not good looking, and have difficulty winning promotion.
“屌丝”这个词最初是由那些感到生活没出路的年轻单身汉们创造出来的。通常这类男性挣钱不多，其貌不扬，晋升无望。

Unlike their upper-class contemporaries, they lack influential families, useful social networks for their careers, and most importantly, suitable women to marry.
与处于社会高层的同龄人相比，他们缺少有权势的家庭背景，没有可以帮助他们发展事业的社会关系，最重要的是，没有合适的结婚对象。

“I’m just a diaosi, poor and plain-looking, who will marry me?” It’s a common sentiment uttered by one of them, which is half self-mockery, half reality.
“我只是个屌丝，穷困潦倒且相貌平平，谁会嫁给我呢？”“屌丝一族”常常会这样一半自嘲、一半现实地感慨到。

Many young men call themselves diaosi because they feel they are among the lowest echelons of society. They suffer low self-esteem and have stopped trying to improve their lives.
很多年轻人自称“屌丝”，因为他们觉得自己处于社会最底层。他们缺乏自尊，也不再为新生活而奋斗。

‘Diaosi’ culture reflects social changes
“屌丝”文化反映出社会变革

According to Zhu Chongke, a professor in the School of Asia-Pacific Studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the popularity of the word diaosi stems from the fact that it was created by common people and thus resonates with a huge population.
广州中山大学亚太研究院的朱崇科教授说，正因为“屌丝”一词是由普通大众创造的，才引发了大多数人的共鸣，变得如此流行。

“Labeling yourself a diaosi offers an outlet for people to mock themselves and relieve pressure, hence it spread quickly,” Zhu told Xinhua News Agency.
“通过给自己贴上‘屌丝’标签，人们找到了一个自嘲和减压的出口。因此这个词汇迅速传播开来。”朱崇科在接受新华社采访时如是说。

“The attitude is basically: ‘I already have little to lose, so why don’t I mock myself for fun?’.”
“从根本上讲，他们的态度是：‘我已是一穷二白，为何不自嘲取乐呢？’”

The diaosi phenomenon reflects not just a youth culture problem, but larger social issues.
屌丝现象所反映出的不单单是一个青年文化的问题，而是更大的社会问题。

“Society hasn’t offered an effective channel for young people who don’t have an influential family background to receive promotion at work,” Zhu said.
“社会没能为这些缺少家庭背景的年轻人提供一个有效的晋升渠道。”朱崇科说。

Ke Qianting is an associate professor in gender studies at Tsinghua University.
柯倩婷副教授是清华大学性别研究方面的专家。

“The pressure of marriage intensifies anxiety among this group,” Ke told Sohu.com.
“婚姻的压力令这些年轻人更加焦虑。”柯倩婷在接受搜狐的采访中说。

“Many of those young men claim to be diaosi, since they can’t find a proper woman to marry. It reflects a deep sense of loss.”
“很多这样的年轻人都因为找不到合适的结婚对象，而宣称加入‘屌丝一族’。这反映了一种深深的失落感。”

(Translator & Editor: 自学之路 Wendy AND Aaron)
http://51lexiangstar.com/story/1489.html