Alan Park
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Chinese Words for “Fake”: 山寨 vs 盗版 vs 假冒
Eskimos have hundreds of words for “snow.” Actually, that’s a widespread misconception.
But what about Chinese words for “fake”? Here are seven ways to say “fake” in Chinese.
Contents
- 山寨 (shān zhài)
- 盗版 (dào bǎn)
- 假冒 (jiǎ mào)
- Other Words that Mean “Fake” in Chinese
- And One More Thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
山寨 (shān zhài)
山寨 (shān zhài) is generally used in legal settings, like when someone wants a legal remedy to something fake—like a product. They are usually made by small companies, so quality is usually not as good as “real” products. Something that is 山寨 is an imitator, knock-off, fake version, etc.
For example:
天津现山寨iPhone4 。
(tiān jīn xiàn shān zhài iPhone4.)
Fake iPhone4 appears in Tianjin.
市民收到网易中奖邮件，核实才知遭遇山寨网站 。
(shì mín shōu dào wǎng yì zhòng jiǎng yóu jiàn, hé shí cái zhī zāo yù shān zhài wǎng zhàn.)
Citizens receive a Netease email notifying them about winning a prize, but after checking, they realized it was from an imitator site.
盗版 (dào bǎn)
盗版 (dào bǎn) is a complete imitation that tries to be identical to the real thing. They try to 以假乱真 to seek profits. This is illegal. This is common for products that use intellectual property, like books (盗版书), albums (盗版唱片) and software (盗版软件).
For example:
这个网站的大多数音乐都是盗版音乐 。
(zhè gè wǎng zhàn de dà duō shù yīn yuè dōu shì dào bǎn yīn yuè.)
Most of the music on this site is pirated music.
全球盗版最严重十大电影：《阿凡达》居首 。
(quán qiú dào bǎn zuì yán zhòng shí dà diàn yǐng: <ā fán dá > jū shǒu .)
The world’s 10 most pirated movies: Avatar’s #1.
微软此前曾从全国各地搜罗了不同版本的盗版Win7光盘 。
(wēi ruǎn cǐ qián céng cóng quán guó gè dì sōu luó le bù tóng bǎn běn de dào bǎn Win7 guāng pán.)
Previously, Microsoft found different versions of pirated Windows 7 CDs all over the country.
假冒 (jiǎ mào)
假冒 (jiǎ mào) is something completely fake, from the exterior to the interior.
假冒 is usually lower in quality than 盗版. Because the contents inside 盗版 are from the authentic product while the contents inside 假冒 are not from the authentic product.
One could argue that 假冒 is ethically “worse” than 盗版 because 假冒 tricks the purchaser of the 假冒 product. But on the other hand, the 假冒 vendor doesn’t steal the IP content of the authentic product (only trademark violations, right?).
For example:
杭州80后男女开网店卖假冒名牌服装被判刑 。
(háng zhōu 80 hòu nán nǚ kāi wǎng diàn mài jiǎ mào míng pái fú zhuāng bèi pàn xíng.)
Hangzhou post-1980 (refers to year of birth) boy and girl get sentenced for starting a website to sell fake brand name clothing.
该作坊主要是制售假冒的食盐 。
(gāi zuō fang zhǔ yào shì zhì shòu jiǎ mào de shí yán.)
That shop mainly makes and sells fake table salt.
Other Words that Mean “Fake” in Chinese
Aside from the previous three words, there are a few more ways we can say “fake” in Chinese. They are:
Knowing which word to use can be tricky since there are so many of them, but consistent practice and exposing yourself to how Chinese is spoken will make it feel much more natural. FluentU even lets you look up each of the words in the app dictionary to find a list of authentic Chinese videos where the word is used in context.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
And there you have seven Chinese words for “fake.” Which one’s your favorite?
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.
FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.
FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.
The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
