The Chinese character "kong," a word that generally means "control," has been selected as the character of the year in China for 2011.
The word was chosen after recommendations from Internet users, expert reviews and online polling that was jointly organized by the National Language Resource Monitoring and Research Center under the Ministry of Education, the state-run Commercial Press, and the China Youth Daily, said a report in the Thursday edition of the newspaper.
A total of 2 million Internet users took part in the selection procedures, the report said.
"Kong," replacing the character "zhang" (meaning price hikes) from last year, symbolizes a logical consequence that the government has launched proper macro-economic policy to keep the hikes under control, said a statement issued by the organizers.
A statement issued on Wednesday after a three-day central economic work conference attended by senior leaders said the country will maintain the steady macro-economic policy and the measures to control inflation, stabilize prices and regulate the property market.
The selection of the word "kong" indicates the public's expectations and the government's efforts to respond to the expectations, the organizers' statement said.
Moreover, the use of "kong" as a shorthand for a homophone of the English word "complex" to express a special indulgence, is also getting popular this year, which reflects a more diversified lifestyle of the Chinese people, the statement said.
The phrase "shang bu qi," which means too delicate to bear a blow, was chosen as the phrase of the year, revealing the public's sensitivity to personal and social problems and their call for justice and equity.
Also, "debt" and "euro debt crisis" were voted the international word and international phrase of the year respectively, showing the public's growing awareness of a globalized world, the report said.
