shanzhai
English
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shanzhai
- /ʃɑːnˈd͡ʒaɪ/
Where it comes from
First use appears c. 2000s, from the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 山寨 (shānzhài), literally mountain fort, suggesting a lair of bandits or counterfeiters.
noun
- The imitation and trademark infringing of brands and goods of usually poor quality, particularly electronics made in China. Many “shanzhai” goods sport altered names, trying to tread a fine line between imitation and straight-out fake, and cost much less than their above-board, well-known brand-name equivalents.[…] The brazenness of the imitations has added to their attraction. Beijing’s electronics markets enjoy a roari
Translations
Every language
noun imitation and trademark infringing brands and goods
| Español | piratería, falsificación |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 불법 복제 bulbeop bokje, 위조 wijo |
| 日本語 | 山塞 sansai, 偽物 nisemono, パチモン pachimon, パチモノ pachimono |
| 中文 | 山寨 shānzhài |
| हिन्दी | चीन माल cīn māl, चाइना माल chāinā māl |
| Português | pirataria, falsificação, xing ling |
| Deutsch | Piraterie, Fälschung |
| Русский | пиратство piratstvo, фальсификация falʹsifikacija, подделка poddelka |
| Tiếng Việt | sự giả mạo, nghề ăn cướp |
| العربية | مُقَلَّد muqallad, تَقْلِيد taqlīd, بِضَاعَةٌ مَغْشُوشَةٌ biḍāʕatun maḡšūšatun, بِضَاعَةُ تَقْلِيدٍ biḍāʕatu taqlīdin |
Talk about this word "shanzhai." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shanzhai. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shanzhai. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shanzhai "shanzhai." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shanzhai.Cite this
@misc{shanzhai_2026,
title = {shanzhai},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shanzhai},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
