微博

• Pinyin: wēi bó
• Hanzi breakdown: 微 = 彳 (walk) + 山 + 几, tiny/micro; 博 = 十 + 尃, extensive/blog

Meaning

Microblog; Weibo (the Chinese social media platform similar to Twitter).

Primarily refers to Sina Weibo, China's most popular microblogging platform launched in 2009. Users can post short messages, images, and videos. Has become a major source of news and public discourse in China. Also used generically for microblogging content.

Examples

1. 这条新闻在微博上被转发了几十万次。 This news was reposted hundreds of thousands of times on Weibo.
2. 很多明星都在微博上和粉丝互动。 Many celebrities interact with fans on Weibo.
3. 他每天早上都会刷一下微博，看看有什么热门话题。 Every morning he scrolls through Weibo to see what topics are trending.

Usage Guide

Context: social media, internet, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 发微博。(Post on Weibo.)
• 上微博热搜了。(It's trending on Weibo.)

Don't Say

• 去微博 like going to a physical place — say 上微博 or 刷微博 for using the platform

Origin & History

Compound of 微 (micro/small) + 博 (blog), a translation of 'microblog.'

Cultural Context

Generation: Younger and middle-aged

Social background: Universal