In October 2025, a commentary on the People’s Forum website described two phrases that had become common in some places and offices facing a public controversy: “wait for notice from above” and “follow the leader’s arrangements.” Even matters clearly within an office’s own authority, it said, “must wait for a superior to speak.”
The commentary quoted Xinhua, which called this way of handling public opinion “looking only upward and not at the facts.”
According to a report from January 2019, an official of the Ministry of Public Security had said the year before that “5+2” and “white plus black” had become the daily working state of China’s police.
“Five plus two” adds the weekend to the five working days. “White plus black” adds the night to the day.
Ms. Li joined a technology company in April 2019 and was dismissed in December 2020. She claimed pay for more than 500 hours of overtime. Her evidence included chat records, screenshots from the DingTalk app and a duty roster for the company’s social media accounts on weekends and holidays. The court of first instance rejected her claim.
On appeal, the Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court ordered the company to pay her 30,000 yuan. According to the reports, the court held that the idea of a workplace should be weakened. What counts is whether the employee provided substantive work. The Beijing News called it the first case in China to address yinxing jiaban, hidden overtime, in a judgment.
In 2024, the Supreme People’s Court wrote the test for hidden overtime online into its annual work report: “substantive work” and “obvious use of time.”
According to legend, Jiang Taigong fished in the river Wei, hoping to meet a wise ruler. His hook was straight. When King Wen of Zhou found him and asked why, he said that the fish he wanted would come to the hook of its own will. King Wen took him as his teacher.
The saying 姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩, “when Jiang Taigong fishes, the willing take the bait,” comes from this story.
The scholar Yang Shi was already forty when he went to see the philosopher Cheng Yi in Luoyang. One day, Cheng Yi sat with his eyes closed. Yang Shi and You Zuo stood beside him and did not leave. When Cheng Yi woke, the snow outside the door was a foot deep. (History of Song)
Cheng men li xue, standing in the snow at Cheng’s gate, means to honor one’s teacher.
On a bridge at Xiapi, the young Zhang Liang met an old man in coarse clothes who dropped his shoe under the bridge. “Boy, go down and get my shoe!” Zhang Liang was startled and wanted to hit him, but because the man was old, he held back and fetched it. “Put it on me!” the old man said. Zhang Liang knelt and did so. “The boy can be taught,” said the old man.
He told Zhang Liang to meet him at dawn five days later. Twice Zhang Liang came after the old man and was sent away. The third time, he came before midnight. The old man gave him a book, the Art of War of the Grand Duke. Zhang Liang later used it to advise Liu Bang, who followed his plans. (Records of the Grand Historian)
A junlingzhuang is a written pledge given on receiving an order. The signer accepts severe punishment if the task is not done. In chapter 46 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a pledge reads: “I am willing to submit a military pledge. If it is not done in three days, I accept heavy punishment.”
A CCTV News article noted that the fight against poverty was the only task since the 18th Party Congress for which Party and government heads signed military pledges to the Center. Xi Jinping said in 2016: “A military pledge is not made lightly. What we say, we must do.”
On January 23, 2020, the government of Wuhan announced a new hospital for coronavirus patients, modeled on Beijing’s Xiaotangshan SARS hospital. Work began on January 25. On February 2, Huoshenshan Hospital was handed over to the army, and on February 4 it took its first patients. From planning to completion took ten days.
Millions of people at home watched the building site on a livestream, and “cloud supervisor” (yun jiangong) became a popular term. By 10 p.m. on one evening, the CCTV stream had counted 86.24 million views.
Workers later said that on February 3 only the first of four zones was in operation. Zones 2 to 4 were still in their final stage of construction.
Construction of the Shenzhen International Trade Center began in April 1982. At first each floor took seven days, then six, five and four. From the 31st floor on, the builders kept to three days per floor. CCTV’s evening news and People’s Daily followed the progress, and “three days a floor” became known across the country.
The main tower was topped out on April 30, 1984, a full month early. At 160 meters, it was then the tallest building in China. Shenzhen sudu, “Shenzhen speed,” became a phrase for the pace of the whole zone.
会战 A decisive battle between main forces. In civilian use, concentrating forces to finish a specific task in one great effort.
攻坚战 An assault on fortified positions. Today used for any hard target, as in the “battle against poverty.”
冲刺 The sprint at the end of a race. The greatest effort in the moment just before success.