Decoding Alipay's 2018 Horoscopes You've Seen All Over WeChat

Mandarin Monday is a weekly column where – similar to our Mandarin Month series from last year – we help you improve your Chinese by detailing fun and practical phrases and characters.

As influential as they have been in altering the way retail businesses are run, cashless services may be even more influential in the way they influence their users' lives.

So when mobile payment system Alipay rolled out its year-end bill to its millions of customers, it sparked an immediate online trend.

While some users were amazed at how much money they spent on Alipay over the course of 2017, many were enamored with the year-end keyword included as part of their bill that represented their principle ideal for the new year. Never one to pass on an auspicious token, many users posted their Alipay-given keywords online.

In lieu of fortune cookies (that decidedly don't exist in China), this modern-day horoscope reading has become rather popular.

Here are some of the keywords messages used in the Alipay year-end bill:

远方
Pinyin: yuǎnfāng
Meaning: "Distance"
Message: "You will see more sights in 2018. Life isn't a race, but a journey to be enjoyed."

Chinese netizens often refer to inspirational messages as "chicken soup" terms. This first horoscope keyword isn't overly flattering like others on this list but gives a motivational push by instilling an abstract term with a hopeful context.

Although it appeals to a younger demographic, this keyword is likely targeted at a more mature audience.

当家
Pinyin: dāngjiā
English meaning: "Caregiver"
English message: "You will take more care of your family in 2018. Successfully managing daily necessities is life's great wisdom."

Alipay users prone to buying imported milk powder and Pampers disposable diapers are most likely to receive this message.

颜值正义
Pinyin: yánzhí zhèngyì
Meaning: "Justifiable Beauty"
Message: "You will invest more in yourself in 2018. An extremely attractive person like yourself can be considered the landscape of the earth."

Beauty may be skin deep but it takes time and effort to look good – and that takes money. Cosmetics and accessories may be a huge expense for female Alipay users, but they are assured that their purchases are made with the best of intentions.

柔软
Pinyin: róuruǎn
Meaning: "Gentleness"
Message: "You will give more of this in 2018. In spite of the armor, the heart will forever be soft."

Users who purchase power tools and propane accessories may find their end-of-year bill to contain this subtle reminder that being a man is more than just the tools.

潮
Pinyin: cháo
Meaning: "Trending"
Message: "You will get 'bigger' in 2018. You've tried out everything that's new, played everything that's trendy. You are a weathervane (that points to new trends)."

App users fond of paying for transactions are likely to get this message that makes use of a popular Internet word, 逼格 which means "bigger" like its pinyin (bīgé). On a related note, "潮" is also a repurposed word that usually means "moist" or "tide."

爱
Pinyin: ài
Meaning: "Love"
Message: "You will give more of this in 2018. Time will change, but what won't change is love."

This message is suitable for all idealistic lovers.

旺
Pinyin: wàng
Meaning: "Prosperous"
Message: "In 2018, you will be prosperous in making money, happiness, and luck the whole year through."

Wishing someone luck is a suitable message for any Chinese, but we're thinking that this message is probably most received by elderly users.

And as an aside, the Chinese terms "财运" (cáiyùn), "福气" (fúqi), and "好运" (hǎoyùn) are all more or less interchangeable for the word "luck."

温暖
Pinyin: wēnnuǎn
Meaning: "Warm"
Message: "You will manage your life better in 2018. A cup of tea, a pot of soup, a bed, a bunch of flowers ... generally speaking, this is an ideal life."

Unlike "Gentleness," this keyword appears to be more geared towards a female audience.

纯真
Pinyin: chúnzhēn
Meaning: "Pure Innocence"
Message: "Even though you're one year older in 2018, you still have the heart of a child. To be able to enjoy simple pleasures is a very cool thing."

Alipay users who like to buy products featuring giant-eyed anime characters are likely to receive this message.

才华
Pinyin: cáihuá
Meaning: "Talent"
Message: "In 2018, you will take pleasure in exploring the wide spiritual world. An attractive body follows the same pattern, but an interesting spirit is found but once out of ten thousand times."

Although this message seems to involve religious themes, it's most likely words of encouragement for world-weary consumers who may have made purchases of inspiration posters, of which these messages resemble.

成就
Pinyin: chéngjiù
Meaning: "Achievement"
Message: "Your ability to battle will strengthen in 2018. Life is like grinding to upgrade yourself; only by becoming stronger can you confront the BOSS."

China's army of mobile gamers are most likely to receive this message that makes broad use of video game lingo like "打怪升级" (dǎguài shēngjí), which basically means to "grind for experience points in order to ascend a level" as well as alluding to the "BOSS" that stands guard at the end.

自由
Pinyin: zìyóu
Meaning: "Freedom"
Message: "In 2018, you will enjoy more freedom. A tire's radius is less than a meter wide. When a life's radius increases, it allows you to go even further."

Likely aimed at younger users, this message occupies much of the same territory as "Distance."

小确幸
Pinyin: xiǎoquèxìng
Meaning: "Fleeting Moments of Happiness"
Message: "In 2018, you will become more satisfied. Happiness doesn't just come from big moments in life but also from small pleasures."

Though it has a negative connotation in English, "fleeting moments" is about living in the now and enjoying short moments of happiness instead putting off any sense of accomplishment before obtaining life goals.

懂得
Pinyin: dǒngde
Meaning: "Understanding"
Message: "In 2018, you'll better understand how to settle the score with happiness. Out of all the many things in life, happiness is the hardest to obtain."

With happiness being such a short supply, this message urges Alipay users to use their comprehension as a device to seeking satisfaction.

范儿
Pinyin: fàner
Meaning: "Style"
Message: "In 2018, you will have more style. Whatever you wear will be stylish; life will be more stylish."

Fashionistas need only to keep spending money to be fashionable, according to this year-end horoscope message.

能干
Pinyin: nénggàn
Meaning: "Capability"
Message: "In 2018, you will make more time to enjoy life. Real ability is to always be able to suitably find a substitute for you."

Don't want to work? Alipay knows the truth.

***

It's not clear how each word was selected for each Alipay user, though we imagine any process that isn't random can utilize the massive amounts of data accrued by the cashless service. Still, the horoscope was popular enough that many Alipay users didn't even notice that the year-end had them inadvertently enroll in a service agreement for Sesame Credit, a move for which Alipay apologized last Wednesday.

As fortune cookies go, Alipay's year-end horoscope certainly lives up to its name.

Images: Weibo.com

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