Course:ASIA319/2024/Eating Dirt (吃土)

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Introduction

Eat Dirt -1.jpg

The keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) is a term created by compounding the word "to eat" (吃) and the word "dirt" (土) together. Combining these two words together creates a new meaning for the two pre-existing words and offers new ways for them to be used in Chinese society. Thanks to the implications as to what this 'new' term can be used to mean or reference it has become a keyword in Chinese contemporary popular culture.

Today, the term Eating Dirt (吃土) is often used in China to refer to one being poor due to overconsumption of consumer items. This use is not all that different from its historical uses to refer to someone being so poor they had no choice but to eat dirt. This keyword has been in circulation for years, however, its meanings and uses have varied over the years. When discussing keywords in Chinese popular culture is is important to consider more than just their meaning. One must look into the genesis of the word, a glossary of its explicit meanings, its variegated meanings and uses, the social, political, and political problems associated, and lastly what studies regarding the key word exist. Language and its uses and meanings are constantly in a state of transition[1], everchanging and constantly evolving due to social and cultural shifts, this Wiki page will build off of this concept, delving into each of these topics surrounding the keyword Eating Dirt (吃土), with consideration of each sections impact on the meaning and use of the term. Additionally, this page will consider a comparison between China and the West and some of their similarities and differences in relation to this keyword.

The genesis of the keyword

From “Touhou Project” comics, where a character, Reimu, was caught eating dirt to fill her stomach.

The phrase 吃土 (chī tǔ) is a neologism circa 2015.[2] Firstly, “吃” means “to eat,” and “土” means “dirt” or "earth". This term emerged in Chinese popular culture from the Touhou Project comics, where a female character, Reimu,[3] has no money to buy food, decides to dig the dirt in front of a shrine to feed on.[4] Touhou Project is a series of 2D vertically-scrolling danmaku (which refers to bullet shots that have intricate patterns) shooting games made by Team Shanghai Alice.[5] The unique gameplay, creative lore and world-building, and well-developed characters contributes to the popularity of Touhou Project game series.[6] Its popularity reaches so high that there are official and unofficial comics created surrounding the lives of the characters and world building.

Eating dirt, or 吃土, is then later used in Chinese popular culture in the context of shopping sprees and spending, where Chinese netizens would jokingly use the phrase. The term 吃土 is mostly used in the scenario when Chinese shoppers have gone on a shopping spree during the Singles’ Day promotions. It is noted that consumers tend to make purchases that are unplanned, which they will later regret.[7] Because the event is so popular and widely celebrated, shoppers often spend their month’s living expenses, thus, they have to “eat dirt” for the next several meals. Therefore, the phrase, “eat dirt” or 吃土, is typically used in the event of reckless splurging on money they could have saved for future needs.[4]

Watch: Youtube: The meaning of "eat dirt" #learnchinese with #shorts from GoEast Mandarin

Glossary of its explicit dictionary meanings

Traditional Meaning of 吃土

The term “吃” denotes the meaning of eating. The character first emerged in the Eastern Han dynasty and was in the verb form of 口吃 (kǒuchī) which composed of the “kou,” which means the mouth, and 乞 (qǐ), which means to beg. “吃” today means to eat, but in ancient China, it also had the meaning to drink. For example, in the classic novel The Water Margin《水浒传》 includes the phrase 吃酒 (chījiǔ), which means “let’s drink.”[8]

The literal term 土 refers to, but not limited to, earth, soil, land, and dust. As an adjective, 土 denotes the meaning of being outdated, unfashionable, or unsophisticated.[9] The character 土 first appears in the Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE). Based on the Analytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters 《说文解字》, they define 土 as “the soil that gave birth to everything."[10]

Literal representation of "eating dirt."

“吃土” in Chinese Popular Culture: Meaning and Usage in Slang

“吃土” is used as a phrase directly translated to “to eat dust” or “to eat dirt."[9] In other words, it refers to the meaning of “to be very poor” as one does not have enough money to afford to purchase food after spending one’s salary on an expensive purchase.[11]

Singles Day (光棍节 Guānggùnjié)

The “Singles Day” shopping festival is an annual event that occurs on November 11 that can last for a couple of weeks. On this day, e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD, offer a huge variety of discounts to customers who spend above a certain threshold.[12] Prior to this day, livestreamers promote products which assist these e-commerce platforms in boosting their sales. For example, Li Jiaqi, known as “Lipstick Brother” a livestreamer who participated in a livestreamed contest to see who could sell the most products. Li Jiaqi won the contest by selling out 15,000 tubes of lipstick in under five minutes. He was challenged by Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, to participate in this contest in November.[13] Netizens would use the phrase “plant grass” (种草 zhòngcǎo) do describe these livestreamer’s persuasive abilities. This slang term came from a Chinese saying “even a prairie fire cannot burn the grass, it grows again when the spring breeze comes (野火烧不尽，春风吹又生 Yěhuǒ shāo bú jìn, chūnfēng chuī yòu shēng)."[12] This saying is referring to the sturdiness of wild grass and how these livestreamers plant inside the consumers’ head that they need a specific product and nothing can persuade them otherwise.

Chengyu used in Singles Day

Although Singles Day is a slang term used in the present day, there are a handful of traditional chengyu that are embedded within the Single’s Day event. More specifically, Singles Day can reflect the modern phenomenon of overspending or retail therapy as a method to reduce stress. An example of a chengyu is 大手大脚 dàshǒu dàjiǎo. This translates to “big hand and big foot,” which refers to one’s courage if they can open and check their bank account after browsing all the insane deals and spending an absurd amount of money on Single’s Day. This term describes consumers who spend their funds recklessly and can be traced back to the Qing dynasty (1616-1911) from the classical novel Dream of the Red Chamber.[14]

Another example is the chengyu 挥金如土 huījīn rútǔ, which translates to “throw money about like dirt.” This term originated from the book Qidong Yeyu, which is written by Zhou Mi (周密), who is a scholar from the Song dynasty (960 – 1279).[14] This term can also describe an individual who wastes their money. It can be used in a sentence such as:  

He must be crazy to throw his money about like dirt.

Tā nàyàng huījīn rútǔ, yídìng shì fēng le.

他那样挥金如土，一定是疯了。 Another similar expression, “视金钱如粪土 (shì jīnqián rú fèntǔ” which means to view money like a drug. It can also mean someone who is generous and not materialistic.[14] Another similar expression, “视金钱如粪土 (shì jīnqián rú fèntǔ” which means to view money like a drug. It can also mean someone who is generous and not materialistic.[14]

An elaboration of its variegated meanings, actual usages, and value-loaded implications

The term "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) has been around for years and has undergone shifts in terms of its meanings, uses, and implications. These shifts have occurred in accordance with social, cultural, and political transitions. The various meanings, range of uses, and shifting implications of the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) in Chinese culture are interconnected and reflective of the context in China at the time at which they are relevant.

Variegated Meanings

The rise of the internet and mass consumer culture has brought with it a new variety of language and neologisms.[1] Neologisms are newly-created words, expressions, or meanings for already existing words,[1] and are often the outcome of changes in culture, science, technology, and the economy. Developments in these sectors often lead to new meanings for existing words as development influences the context within society making it necessary for certain words to take on new meanings. The interrelationship between the internet and society has influenced the development of language, and as can be observed in the various meanings, uses, and implications of the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) language is often reflective of changes in social standards and generational differences.[15] Language aids in the expression of human thought and emotion and aspects of language such as slang enable the creation of culture and the reflection of group identity.[16] The term "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) was formed through the morphological process of compounding. Compounding is considered the most common morphological process for the formation of Mandarin slang,[16] and involves the combination of two words to create one word/term. This can be observed in the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) through its combination of the word "to eat" (吃) and "dirt" (土). Through the compounding of the words "to eat" and "dirt", they become one and take on new meanings in popular culture beyond to literally eat dirt.

Initially, the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) referred to a poor financial condition or a difficult economic situation, and was often associated with or meant one was broke.[16] It's previous common meanings would be to literally eat dirt or to be dirt poor in the sense that one would not be able to afford real food. However, as the internet and mass consumer culture rose into the mainstream in China, the meaning of the term "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) shifted. Now, the meaning of the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) has evolved to revolve around and relate to mass consumerism and capitalism. This influence of consumer culture and capitalism on Chinese contemporary popular culture is showcased through the more contemporary meaning of the keyword which is that one overspent on consumer items leaving them no choice but to eat dirt. The keyword is now also used more broadly to mean a tough situation[16] or a dirt-poor situation.[17] The root meaning of the term "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) has not changed much as it still refers to having to eat dirt due to a lack of capital. However, the broader meanings, uses, and implications have noticeably changed in accordance to contextual shifts within China.

Actual Usages

Historically, the term "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) was used in the Qing Dynasty or Mao Era to refer to people who literally ate dirt to survive hunger.[17] However, now it's uses act as cautionary tales warning of the dangers of overconsumption and overspending in the emergent capitalist economy. One of its most common contemporary uses is in reference to Singles Day, suggesting that consumers overindulge on Singles Day shopping and are left with no money for food leaving them with no choice but to eat dirt.[1] This is similar to many of its contemporary uses that warn if you blow your money on frivolous purchases you will have to eat dirt until your next paycheck. [18] Other uses of the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) in contemporary Chinese culture are to express one's desire for something expensive such as a Hanfu set.[17]

Value-Loaded Implications

Similarly to its uses and meanings, the implications of the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) have shifted over time. In the past, the term "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) implied that one who was too poor to afford food thus their only option was to eat dirt. However, there was no implication, or hint as to the reason one found themself in a poor financial condition or to be dirt poor. Now, through the newer uses and meanings of the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) it is implied that one is in a dirt-poor situation and forced to eat dirt due to overindulgence in the alluring consumer market. One could say this term acts as a critique of capitalism and mass consumer culture through its common use as a cautionary tale against overspending on things such as shopping sprees.

Market forces were introduced to China at the end of the 1970s following Mao's death, and brought a wave of mass consumption to China.[19] New patterns of consumption have been emerging in China since the 1970s, and China has experienced a fast-growing economy and an expanding market for luxury brands.[20] As a result of China's growing economy and market for luxury brands there has been an increase of spending on luxury goods by Chinese consumers.[20] It is critical to consider how this background context has influenced the implications of the term "eat dirt" (吃土). It is thanks to the presence of consumer culture and the growth of the luxury goods market in China that the keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) has value-loaded implications surrounding the consequences of overspending and overconsumption of unnecessary consumer items.

Comparisons to the West

In America and many Anglo contexts "dirt" is also used in slang. However, the uses, meanings, and implications of the term "dirt" in Anglo cultures differs somewhat to that of Chinese culture. In American and English context, to "eat dirt" is an informal idiom used to to accept blame, guilt, criticism, or insults without complaint. It can be thought as to humble or abase oneself[21] The origin of the phrase "eat dirt" is unknown, however, it is thought to have developed from the idea that when one consumes dirt or soil, symbolizes that they are submitting themselves in humiliation. An example of "eat dirt" can be used as "he eats dirt every time he tries to show off his skills and fails miserably." Another usage of this phrase is to regret or feel embarrassed of what one has said earlier.[22] For example, a sentence using "eat dirt" in this situation would be "I ate dirt for saying my teacher sucks when she was right behind me".

Both in Chinese and in English the term "eat dirt" ("吃土" in Chinese) is used as a form of slang typically with negative connotations. However, the use, implication and meaning of they keyword is is often different between the two languages and cultures. The use, meaning and implication of the term "eat dirt" is understandably different in China to the West. This is mainly due to the implications background political, social, and cultural contexts have on language and the creation of neologisms.

China's relationship with capitalism and consumer culture is complicated and has often involved political and social tensions, and been at the forefront of Chinese social, economic, and cultural contexts for years. It is due to the prominence and rise of consumerism and capitalism within Chinese culture following Mao's death that the contemporary uses of the term "eat dirt" (吃土) make sense. In contrast, in America and other Anglo speaking countries capitalism and consumerism were embraced earlier making it less of a novelty. Thus, explaining why it has different uses in places like America where critiques and concerns regarding capitalism and consumerism are less prominent. However, for Chinese-speaking Americans, it makes sense to use the term "吃土" in annual Western shopping events that are widely celebrated, like Boxing Day or Black Friday (Watch: Why do Chinese Gen Z keep saying that they need to eat dirt?)

Social, cultural, and political problems

Societies of Control (Lesson 8.1: Micro-lecture [1] ): The illusion of ease, freedoms and convenience of online shopping

In everyday conversations, Chinese people use the term 吃土, or "eating dirt", jokingly when they have spent most of their income on consumer items that they would need to live on dirt for the coming future (Watch: Instagram: Chinese Slang & Buzzwords ｜吃土（chī tǔ）- to be flat broke). For example, one may use 吃土 in the sentence, 这个月花钱花得太多了，下个月要吃土了(I spend a lot of money this month and will live on dirt next month). [23] Although this term is used informally and jokingly, we can see that this term reflects actual, real problems of the social, cultural, and political aspects of consumerism. When shopping, consumers tend to use mental budgeting or mental accounting, which is when shoppers use their mind to keep track of what they are spending, "as a solution to self-control problems"(Wan et al., 2019: 836).[7] However, this is not always the case. For example, in 2017, Alibaba’s Singles’ Day shopping event not only generated a great deal of sales ($25.3 billion), it has also contributed to China's debt market. During this time, Chinese e-commerce giants offered a lot more loans to bankrupt Chinese citizens. [24] Singles’ Day started as informal cultural practice, where single people wanted to designate a day for lonely singles to meet other singles as a social practice. To dive deeper into the background and origin of Single's Day, Single's Day started from China's one-child policy. For every 100 female babies, there were 118 male babies (Sun & Creech 2019: 234).[25] Thus, the increase of single males led to jokes of being single and to parties being held as an excuse to meet girls. The political decision of China one-child policy paved the way for the celebration of singleness. However, Alibaba, which is like Amazon from the United States, has sought this opportunity to commercialized and capitalized this cultural and social practice. [25] Sun and Creech (2019) explains how the growing "consumption becomes a practice where products begin to constitute social identities and hold symbolic significance" (235).[25]

Alibaba and their promotion of shopping on Single's Day has played a major part of consumerism, globalization, and capitalism in China. For instance, in 2015, consumers purchased more than 16,000 international brands on Singles’ Day.[25] Moreover, Wang Yulei, CEO of Tmall, an Alibaba site, commented that "future Singles Days will definitely not just be for consumers in a particular region, Singles Day will be for the whole world.” [26] Alibaba has become so powerful and successful that China’s government has told the country’s media to censor coverage on Alibaba, where founder Jack Ma has experienced some problems his business. A state employee comments “I think Beijing is still afraid of Alibaba to a degree . . . The government thinks it’s being challenged”. [27] Furthermore, Jennifer Wang, CEO of Dealmoon, a Chinese-American e-commerce site, claims that “This is a day for shopping... We are hoping to expand it to an American audience." [26]

Money - A Data Fetishism (Yang, Week 8, slide 59[28]) in the Real World

The contrast between jokingly "eating dirt" and the horrors of consumerism, globalization, and capitalism in China may be seen as an imaginary solution to real problems. If we continue over-consuming and capitalizing everything, there will be nothing left but dirt and dust to eat. On the other hand, "土" also means "earth", suggesting that over-consumption and the capitalization of everything will lead to nothing else to commodify on, where the final "item" to spend and commodify on is the land we live on - the Earth.   

Review, summarize, and synthesize existing secondary studies related to the keywords

November 11 is known as Singles Day since it celebrates people who are single. The numerical value of this date, 11/11, can be represent the singles peoples and their independency.

Singles Day (光棍节 Guānggùnjié)

In the present day, November 11 is the day where consumers can relish in a day of online shopping full of sales and discounts. This event originated in a dorm at Nanjing University in 1993. College students, a mainly male group, were discussing their romantic-less lives and decided to brand a day to celebrate being single and meet potential singles. Thus, they chose November 11th, where the date ‘11/11’ resembles four single people standing together.[26] The popularity of this designated date later became an annual event introduced in November 2009, which was launched by Alibaba known as the “Taobao Promotion Day” on the Taobao online e-commerce website.[29] Other e-commernce websites have joined this day as well, including JD.com, Dangdang and other major Chinese e-commerce platforms. The date November 11 was chosen as the numeric form of this date consists of four “ones,” which represents the solidarity of single people to celebrate the status of these single people. This date was inspired by the promotional events that occur in the United States.[29]

Comparison to U.S. Cyber Week Sales

The number of active users of e-commerce websites such as TaoBao and Tmall on November 11, 2018 (Single’s Day) is enormous compared to other platforms like JD.com and Pinduoduo.[30] We can see an increasing growth in the sales numbers from 2018 to 2022. Compared to the sales from the United States, Alibaba’s Singles’ Day sales consistently exceed the online sales from the United States.[31]

Chinese Singles' Day Statistics regarding sales and the continuous growth over the years 2018-2022.

Alibaba's impact on the U.S Economy

Alibaba’s creation of this for consumers to splurge also has implications for the U.S Economy. Some benefits include driving growth in both large and small U.S brands present in Alibaba's e-commerce platform, a rise in employment numbers, supporting small businesses by helping them reach a wider audience, and creating positive impacts in the supply chain businesses.[32]

Impacts on China's Economy

Although Single’s Day creates various benefits for the U.S economy, according to Forbes, Alibaba has shown to underperform in the S&P 500 from 2021 to 2023.[33] Considering China’s weak economic growth after COVID-19, consumer spending remains weak as well. Illustrating how even promoting a day that convinces consumers to spend their money on products that they may not even need, but feel convinced to purchase, is not sufficient in boosting China’s economy by itself. On the same note, Alibaba reports the Chinese consumer’s spending on this shopping event to be around 84.54 billion U.S dollars and even surpass sales from Cyber Monday, these sales include purchase from consumers around the world, and not only consumers in China.[33]

The True Meaning of 吃土

As a reflection of the consumerism culture and the wide use of the internet in all different parts of our life, including shopping, 吃土 has been coined as an outcome of this cultural and technological advancements. Although 吃土 has an opaque meaning,[34] we can derive multiple possible meanings as a result of the impacts this phrase has on our culture and economy.

Conclusion

The keyword "eat dirt" or "eating dirt" (吃土) is a common form of Mandarin slang that has taken up new uses, meanings, and implications thanks to the rise of the internet and consumer culture.

The term "eat dirt" (吃土) was previously used literally to refer to those who were dirt poor to the point where their only option was to literally eat dirt to survive.[17] However, it reemerged as a neologism with a new meaning in 2015.[2] Eating dirt, or 吃土, is now used in Chinese popular culture in the context of shopping sprees and spending, where Chinese netizens would jokingly use the phrase to refer to one overspending and having no money left for food. Traditionally, the words 吃土 were not grouped together and acted alone with "吃" referring to eat or drink something, and the literal term "土" referring to soil, earth, or dust. The uses, meanings, and implications of the term "eat dirt" (吃土) have varied over time in relation to shifting political, economic, and cultural contexts in China. Additionally, the uses of the term "eat dirt" in China and the Chinese language differ to its uses in America and other English speaking countries. Although current uses of this term is are informal and used jokingly, we can see that this term reflects real problems associated with the social, cultural, political aspects of consumerism. One limitation of the current discourse surrounding the keyword "eat dirt" (吃土) is that the negative meanings and implications dominate the mainstream leaving little to no acknowledgement of the potential positive uses, meanings, and implications. While various journal articles touch on contemporary uses of the term "eat dirt" (吃土) secondary studies are often vague and focus more on topics relating to the keyword rather than the keyword itself. One example of a current study by Wan et al. (2019) suggest, to combat overflowing Single's Day promotions, shoppers go on social media to look for shopping advice and share shopping plans with each other (837).[7] Thus, in contrast of Single's Day being a day of singlehood and overspending so much that one needs to "吃土", gathering with friends and families can help one another make wiser decisions and save money to avoid "吃土". Potential future studies surrounding the keyword "eat dirt" (吃土) may include studying how the uses, meanings, and implications of the term evolve as the cultural, political, and social context within China shifts and changes overt time.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wang, Sasha (2018). "The Comparative Analysis of the Morphological Features of English and Chinese Neologisms From the View of Lexicology" (PDF). Cross-Cultural Communication. 14: pp. 57-61 – via Google Scholar.CS1 maint: extra text (link)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "LingQ". LingQ. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Reimu was really caught in 4k eating dirt". reddit. September 15, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2024. |first= missing |last= (help)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Li, Debra (November 26, 2020). "Catch Phrase | 吃土（chītǔ）". EYESHENZHEN. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Touhou Wiki". Touhou Wiki. September 30, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Why is Touhou so popular?". Quora. August 16, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Wang, Lingli; Yan, Qiang; Chen, Wenjing (September 9, 2019). "Drivers of purchase behavior and post-purchase evaluation in the Singles' Day promotion". The Journal of Consumer Marketing. 36 (6): 835–845 – via ProQuest.
  8. ↑ Huang, Weijia; Hsueh, Aaron (August 30, 2020). "On the Character: 吃". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 House, Mandarin. "Chinese Slang Word "土" And How To Use It". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  10. ↑ Huang, Weijia; He, Anita. "On the Character: 土". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  11. ↑ Blueprint, Mandarin. "50 Chinese Slang Words to Make You Sound Like A Native". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Zhang, Aria. "The Singles Day Slang of China's Online Shopaholics". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  13. ↑ Zhang, Jessica; Liu, Hatty. "Man Up". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Sun, Jiahui (November 2, 2021). "Choice Chengyu: Sayings About Spending for Singles Day". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  15. ↑ La, A.S. (2019). "The Instant Generation: Chinese Internet Language and Identity Trends (Doctoral dissertation, UC Santa Barbara)". UC Santa Barbara - eScholarship: pp. vi-45 – via Google Scholar.CS1 maint: extra text (link)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Prastyo, M.D. (October - November 2023). "Morphological Process Analysis of Mandarin Slang Word Formation in the Game Forum "王者荣耀"百度贴吧Wángzhě Róngyào Bǎidù Tiēba". Bambuti. 6: pp. 25-38 – via Google Scholar. Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: extra text (link)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Lin, Leiyi (2021). "The Revival of Hanfu: The Rise and Fall of a Cultural Movement". CEU eTD Collection - Central European University: p. 37 – via Google Scholar.CS1 maint: extra text (link)
  18. ↑ Huang, W; Hsueh, A. (2020). "On the Chinese Character 吃 (Eat)" (PDF). The World of Chinese: pp. 92-93 – via Google Scholar.CS1 maint: extra text (link)
  19. ↑ Zhao, B (1997). "Consumerism, Confucianism, Communism: Making Sense of China Today" (PDF). New Left Review: pp. 43-59 – via Google Scholar.CS1 maint: extra text (link)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Chen, H.; Wang, Y.; Qiao, F. (2021). "Informing, reinforcing, and referencing: Chinese male consumers' interpretation of luxury brands' presence on Chinese social media". Journal of Global Marketing. 34: pp. 38-55 – via Google Scholar.CS1 maint: extra text (link)
  21. ↑ "Eat dirt definition and meaning". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Definition & Meaning of "Eat dirt"". LanGeek Dictionary. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  23. ↑ "吃土 (chī tǔ) Definition & Meaning". HanBook. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Alibaba Singles' Day extends to the debt market". China Economic Review. November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Sun, Weimei; Creech, Brian (August 2019). "Celebratory consumerism on China's Singles' Day: From grass-roots holiday to commercial festival". Global Media and Communication. 15(2): 233–248 – via SageJournals.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Stampler, Laura (November 11, 2014). "How China's Singles' Day Holiday Sold Out". Time. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  27. ↑ Yang, Yuan (January 8, 2021). "Beijing orders Chinese media to censor coverage of Alibaba probe". ProQuest. Retrieved Nov 8, 2024.
  28. ↑ Yang, Renren, "Week 8 The Thrills and Perils of Video Games." ASIA 319, October 25, 2024, University of British Columbia, Microsoft PowerPoint presentation
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Xiong, Shaoyu. "Single's Day? Double Eleven? Why is 11.11 special?". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  30. ↑ Ou, Xin (February 27, 2024). "Number of active e-commerce platform users on Singles' Day in China in 2017 and 2018, by platform". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  31. ↑ Richter, Felix (November 10, 2023). "Chinese Singles' Day Blows Away U.S. Cyber Wee". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  32. ↑ Group, Alibaba (March 6, 2024). "Alibaba Releases Report on Cross-Border Trade's Positive Impact on the U.S. Economy". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Team, Trefis (July 31, 2024). "Alibaba's Q1 Preview: Navigating A Tough Chinese Economy". Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  34. ↑ Wang, Shasha; Su, Zhenyang (March 26, 2018). "The Comparative Analysis of the Morphological Features of English and Chinese Neologisms From the View of Lexicology". CS Canada. 14: 57–61 – via CSCanada. line feed character in |title= at position 78 (help)
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