"Completely gone" — Phrase of the Week
Consumer confidence in Beijing and Shanghai has collapsed according to recently published data
Our phrase of the week is: "completely gone" (荡然无存 dàngrán wúcún)
Context
Recently published consumption data for November 2024 has shown a rapid decline in consumer confidence in Beijing and Shanghai.
Over the first 11 months of 2024, consumption in these two major cities declined by 2.8% and 3.1% respectively.
In November, this decline turned into a sharp collapse.
Beijing’s total retail sales of consumer goods fell to approximately $17.5 billion (¥127.5 billion), marking a steep 14.1% year-on-year drop. Shanghai fared no better, with its total consumer spend reaching approximately $19.8 billion (¥144.3 billion), but still experiencing a significant 13.5% decline.
Even the 'lipstick effect' (口红效应), where consumers typically turn to small indulgences during economic downturns, has not materialised in China as it has in other economies.
Consumer data for 2024 reveals a significant drop in discretionary spending, with cosmetics seeing the largest decline—a year-on-year decrease of 26.4% in Beijing and Shanghai.
This highlights the growing pessimism surrounding the future of China's economy:
As we approach the end of the year, consumption data this year has not rebounded but has continued to decline instead.
What does this indicate? It shows that people’s pockets are empty, and their confidence in the future is completely gone.
今年，即将跨年之际，消费数据不仅没有回升，反而继续下滑。这说明了什么？老百姓的钱包真的是见底了，而他们对未来的信心，早已荡然无存。
Jīnnián, jíjiāng kuànián zhī jì, xiāofèi shùjù bùjǐn méiyǒu huíshēng, fǎn'ér jìxù xiàhuá. Zhè shuōmíngle shénme? Lǎobǎixìng de qiánbāo zhēn de shì jiàndǐ le, ér tāmen duì wèilái de xìnxīn, zǎoyǐ dàngrán wúcún.
And with that, we have our Sinica Phrase of the Week!
What it means
"Completely gone" is a four-character idiom that directly translates as "gone and empty" (荡然 dàngrán) and "without trace" (无存 wúcún).
The idiom is attributed to Rèn Fǎng 任昉 (460–508), a prominent literary figure, novelist, and geographer during the Southern Liang Dynasty (502—557), part of the Southern Dynasties era (420—589).
Born in today's Shandong Province, Ren was renowned for his mastery of parallel prose (骈文 piánwén), blending scholarly references with elegant composition. His work significantly influenced the academic and literary development of the period.
"Completely gone" first appeared in Ren's Edict on Collecting Grave Texts for Emperor Wu of Liang (为梁武帝集坟籍令 wèi liáng wǔdì jí fénjí lìng), a formal document written for Emperor Wu (梁武帝 Liáng Wǔdì), the founding emperor of the Liang Dynasty. His reign was marked by support for the arts and the expansion of Buddhism's influence in society.
The Edict served as an official directive to gather ancient writings and records from burial sites to preserve historical and cultural knowledge.
In the Edict, Ren describes the destruction of valuable texts and records during a disaster:
"The fire started at the palace and spread quickly to the imperial library.
The bamboo slips and silk scrolls were engulfed, with the Xiang bags and cloth covers completely gone."
近灾起柏梁，遂延渠阁，青编素简，一同煨尽，湘囊綖帙，荡然无存。
Jìn zāi qǐ bǎi liáng, suì yán qú gé, qīng biān sù jiǎn, yì tóng wēi jìn, Xiāng náng zhuì zhì, dàngrán wúcún.
This passage vividly describes how a fire destroyed the scrolls and their "Xiang" storage bags (湘囊, xiāng náng)—traditional Chinese silk or brocade bags for storing books and valuables, symbolizing cultural refinement—leaving nothing behind.
In modern Chinese, the phrase is often used metaphorically to describe something that has been completely destroyed or disappeared, leaving no trace.
It's commonly used in relation to emotions such as hope or confidence, or to signify the end of something. In the context of the recent consumer data, the idiom expresses how consumer confidence has "completely gone" in China’s two richest cities.
Andrew Methven is the author of RealTime Mandarin, a resource to help you learn contemporary Chinese in context, and stay on top of the latest language trends in China.
Read more about how this story is being discussed in the Chinese media in this week’s RealTime Mandarin.
