月光族

Hey everyone! Welcome to a new episode of Simply Natural Chinese! I'm Xiao Yue!

Hey everyone, I'm Leo.

Today we're once again in my dessert shop, chatting over a cup of tea.

Xiao Yue, I'm feeling really confident today, because this time I found out our topic word in advance.

Oh really? Then go ahead — what are we talking about today?

Today we're talking about the "moonlight clan."

That's right! How did you know?

I saw the word online yesterday and thought it was really interesting.

So do you know what "moonlight clan" means?

Of course I do! I understood this word the moment I saw it.

Okay then, you tell me — what kind of people are the moonlight clan?

The moonlight clan? They're a group of people who love moonlight.

Love moonlight?

Yeah. "Moonlight" is the light of the moon, right?

The light of the moon — yes, that is indeed called moonlight.

So the moonlight clan must be the type of people who love going out at night.

Going out at night?

Right. They only come alive once the moon is out — they sleep during the day and are full of energy at night.

Hahahaha!

What are you laughing at? I think what I'm saying makes total sense.

Go on, I want to hear your interpretation.

As soon as night falls, they head out to have fun — bars, night markets, enjoying the nightlife.

Haha, so in your interpretation, the moonlight clan is a bunch of "night owls"?

Exactly! Night owls! We have that expression in English too — night owl.

Your imagination is really something.

Wait, did I get it wrong?

Leo, I have to tell you — this time you got it... completely wrong.

Huh? Wrong? But "yuèguāng" obviously just means the light of the moon.

I see your logic, but this "yuèguāng" isn't that "yuèguāng."

What other "yuèguāng" could it be?

The "yuè" here is the "yuè" from "yuèxīn" — monthly salary. It's the "yuè" that means "a month."

Oh, so it means "month."

Right. And the "guāng" here isn't the "guāng" that means a ray of light either.

Then what does it mean?

Here, "guāng" means "all used up" — nothing left at all.

All used up... so "huāguāng" means spending every last bit of your money?

Exactly right! You catch on fast.

So the "moonlight clan" is... people who spend all their money every month?

That's right! Every month, the moment their salary comes in, they spend it all, down to the last cent.

Wow, that's so different. I thought it was romantic moonlight, but it turns out it's an empty wallet.

Haha, yes. This word is actually a little bit bittersweet.

Then what about the "zú"? I've noticed a lot of words end with "zú."

"Zú" just means "a type of people," "a group of people."

So the "office-worker clan" is the group of people who go to work, and the "moonlight clan" is the group who spends it all month after month.

See? You got it right away. Lots of new Chinese words are built by combining parts like this.

I see. So I can forget my earlier "night owl" version.

Haha, yes, you can forget it. But you know what — your version was actually pretty romantic.

Romantic, sure — too bad it's wrong.

So let's properly talk about the real moonlight clan.

Sure. First I want to ask — what kind of people are most likely to become part of the moonlight clan?

Generally speaking, it's young people who haven't been working very long.

Why young people?

Because their salary isn't high yet, but there's so much they want to buy.

That I can understand.

For a lot of young people, the second their paycheck arrives, they pay off the credit card, pay rent, then shop, shop, shop — and by the end of the month, the money's gone.

So it's "spend as much as you earn."

Right — and some people even spend more than they earn.

Spend more than they earn? Doesn't that mean they end up in debt?

Exactly, which is why a lot of young people now use something called "Huabei."

"Huabei"? That's such a cute name.

Huabei is a feature inside Alipay. Simply put, you can spend the money now and pay it back next month.

Oh, kind of like a credit card.

Right, the idea is very similar — both are spending money before you have it.

So a lot of the moonlight clan are using things like Huabei and credit cards.

Exactly. There's a vivid way to put it: "this month you pay off last month's debt."

Haha, forever paying money back.

Right — your paycheck hasn't even warmed up, and it's already gone.

What does "wùrè" mean?

"Wùrè" means warming something up with your body heat. "Your paycheck hasn't warmed up" means the money just reached your hands — you barely felt it — and it's already spent.

That's such a vivid expression. The money stays in your pocket for so little time it doesn't even get a chance to warm up.

Haha, that's exactly it.

So what state is the moonlight clan in by the end of the month?

There's a popular phrase online: "eating dirt at the end of the month."

Eating dirt? Do they actually eat dirt?

Of course not really. It's a joke — it means the money's all gone, you're so broke that all that's left to eat is dirt.

Hahaha, I love that exaggerated expression.

Young people love making fun of themselves like this — shouting "eating dirt" while they keep on shopping.

"Zìcháo" — that's making fun of yourself?

Right — saying you're broke, laughing at yourself. It's a pretty lighthearted attitude.

I've noticed Chinese young people are really good at self-deprecating humor.

Yes — turning your worries into jokes makes you feel a little better.

I'm really curious — where exactly does all their money go?

Great question — let's count it up.

Okay, let's go through it item by item.

The first big one is food.

Can eating really cost that much?

Don't underestimate food. These days young people rarely cook for themselves — they order delivery almost every day.

Delivery really is convenient.

Convenient, sure, but one delivery meal is thirty or forty yuan — two meals a day, and over a month it adds up to a lot.

And then there are drinks.

Exactly! You get it. There's also bubble tea and coffee.

Young people in China really do love bubble tea.

One cup of bubble tea is about twenty yuan, and some people have one every day.

One a day — that's 600 yuan a month.

Quick math! Bubble tea alone can drink up a serious chunk of money.

In the UK it's the same with coffee. One cup a day, and the monthly total is scary.

Right, it's the same all over the world. There's a name for this kind of spending — "the Latte Factor."

"The Latte Factor"?

It means all those small, unremarkable bits of money you spend every day actually add up to a lot.

I see. Small money isn't so small.

Right. Besides food and drink, the second big one is online shopping.

I've experienced that too — a few taps on your phone and the stuff shows up at your door.

Being too convenient is its own problem. A lot of people, the moment they're unhappy, go shopping online.

Using shopping to make themselves happy?

Right, there's a word for it — "revenge spending."

"Revenge spending"? That sounds so intense.

Haha, it's not that intense. It means going on a sudden shopping spree when you're in a bad mood.

Like "taking revenge" for all your earlier hard work?

Right — using spending to comfort yourself, to reward yourself.

We have a similar phrase in English — "treat yourself" — meaning, be a little good to yourself.

Pretty much! Treating yourself once in a while is fine, but take revenge every single day and your wallet can't handle it.

Haha, the wallet feels very wronged.

There's also one particular time that's a big test for the moonlight clan.

What time is that?

Every year's "Double Eleven."

I've heard of Double Eleven — it's the shopping festival on November 11th.

Right. On that day, everything online is on sale, and everyone is grabbing things.

That scene must be wild.

Lots of people can spend half a month's salary in a single night.

Half a month's salary! They must wake up the next day full of regret.

Haha, that's why there's a phrase — "duòshǒu," chopping off your hands.

"Duòshǒu"? Chop off your hands?

It's an exaggeration, of course. It means you bought too much, you regret it, and you're so annoyed you want to chop off the hand that did the shopping.

Hahaha, but next time they'll buy again anyway.

Right — so that hand never actually gets chopped off.

That reminds me of a question. Aren't Chinese people big on saving money?

You're right — and that's a really interesting contrast.

I always thought Chinese people were all great at saving.

That impression isn't wrong, but it mainly applies to the older generation.

The older generation — that's the parents' and grandparents' generation.

Right. They lived through hard times, so they really value saving.

They put money away, just in case.

Right — they only feel secure when they have savings in hand.

What does "tàshí" mean?

"Tàshí" means feeling calm and settled inside, not anxious. With savings, you're not afraid when something comes up.

I see. So why are young people different now?