bourgeois
Meaning: Relating to or characteristic of the middle class, particularly its conventional values, materialism, and preoccupation with respectability; also used pejoratively in Marxist thought.
Bourgeois is used in two main registers. In sociological and Marxist discourse, it denotes the capitalist class that owns the means of production. In cultural criticism, it describes values, tastes, and attitudes perceived as conventional, materialistic, and complacent. The term is almost always pejorative when used by critics, though it can be neutral in historical or sociological analysis. It collocates with 'bourgeois values', 'bourgeois society', 'petit bourgeois', and 'bourgeois respectability'.
Examples
- Marx argued that bourgeois society would inevitably generate the conditions for its own overthrow by concentrating wealth and alienating the working class. 马克思主张,资产阶级社会必然会通过集中财富和疏远工人阶级来创造自身被推翻的条件。Marx argumentó que la sociedad burguesa generaría inevitablemente las condiciones de su propio derrocamiento al concentrar la riqueza y alienar a la clase obrera.マルクスは、ブルジョア社会は富を集中させ労働者階級を疎外することで、不可避的に自らの転覆の条件を生み出すだろうと論じた。마르크스는 부르주아 사회가 부를 집중시키고 노동계급을 소외시킴으로써 불가피하게 자체 전복의 조건을 만들어낼 것이라고 주장했다.
- The novel satirises the bourgeois complacency of suburban life, where lawn maintenance takes precedence over moral reflection. 这部小说讽刺了郊区生活中资产阶级的自满,在那里草坪维护比道德反思更受重视。La novela satiriza la complacencia burguesa de la vida suburbana, donde el mantenimiento del césped tiene prioridad sobre la reflexión moral.その小説は郊外生活のブルジョア的な自己満足を風刺しており、そこでは芝生の手入れが道徳的省察より優先されている。그 소설은 교외 생활의 부르주아적 자기만족을 풍자하며, 그곳에서는 잔디 관리가 도덕적 성찰보다 우선시된다.
- Her bohemian friends dismissed her decision to buy a house in the Home Counties as irredeemably bourgeois. 她的波西米亚朋友们认为她在家郡买房的决定是无可救药的小资产阶级行为。Sus amigos bohemios consideraron su decisión de comprar una casa en los Home Counties como irremediablemente burguesa.彼女のボヘミアンな友人たちは、ホーム・カウンティーズに家を買うという彼女の決断を救いようのないブルジョア趣味だと退けた。그녀의 보헤미안 친구들은 홈 카운티에 집을 사겠다는 그녀의 결정을 구제불능의 부르주아 취향이라며 일축했다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: political, academic, cultural, literary
Tone: critical
Origin & History
From French bourgeois meaning 'citizen, middle-class person,' from Old French burgeis meaning 'citizen of a town,' from borc meaning 'town, market town,' from Late Latin burgus meaning 'fortified place.' The pejorative class sense developed through Marxist usage in the 19th century.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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