The word caught the attention of the dictionary's editing team after BBC's recent program on influential² Chinese words.

 

"If its influence continues, it is very likely to appear on our updated list of words," said Julie Kleeman, project manager with the editing team.

 

Kleeman told the Beijing Youth Daily that tuhao has some similarities with the English word bling, which refers to expensive, ostentatious（招摇的） clothing or jewelry³. Both the words have existed for long but later on took a new meaning.

 

In Chinese, tu means uncouth⁴（笨拙的） and hao means rich. It has traditionally been referred to rich people who throw their weight around in China's rural areas. In recent years, people in the ACG (anime, comic and game) circle borrowed the term to describe those who spend money in an irrational⁵（不合理的） manner.

 

The word gained credence⁶ in September with the launch of Apple's new gold-colored iPhone, an item loved by China's nouveau riche（暴发户）. The color became known as "tuhao gold."

 

The word is now often used by the online community to refer to people who have the cash but lack the class to go with it.

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