Definition of tuhao heats up Internet

A widely-spread cartoon with the words: "Tuhao, let's be friends!"

The Chinese term "tuhao" has been included in the latest version of the standard Chinese dictionary, which explains it as "people who are rich but lack in education or taste" - stirring hot discussion online.

Internet users use tuhao to refer to people with great wealth who spend money freely, in a way that does not go along with the wealth.

The third edition of the Dictionary of Contemporary Standard Chinese has added more than 100 new "hot" words, among which are tuhao and explains it as "people who are rich but short of education and correct values".

The explanation spread widely on Internet, and soon the hashtag translated as #Tuhao lack in education# began trending on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform.

As of 1:00 pm today, it has been read 7.45 million times and generated more than 21,000 comments.

"I would like to exchange my whole talent for tuhao a whole life," one Sina Weibo user said . "I'm just wondering how the dictionary defines education and value,"said another.

A post by user "Jingmeiyouwu" defends the group the expression reflects, "It doesn't matter if a tuhao is educated or not, as they don't make a living out of it. Tuhao have wisdom and living skills. It's enough."

The expression also stirred controversy among language experts.

Zhang Yisheng, director of the Language Research Institute at Shanghai Normal University, has been researching popular online words, including tuhao.

He doesn't agree fully with the definition given by the dictionary, saying that tuhao can be interpreted as "someone who has a lot of money but can't follow trends and in consequence speaks or behaves in an outdated way that is inappropriate, considering their wealth and social status".

The word also attracts attention from overseas media. The BBC once quoted a professor's words, "To say someone is tuhao is to imply they come from a poor peasant background, and have made it rich quick - but don't quite have the manners, or sophistication to go along with it."

The Chinese expression referred originally to landlords living in rural areas who had a lot of money, land and power and who often bullied peasants.

This new usage of the term became popular in September 2013 after a widely-shared joke, which goes like this: A rich but unhappy man goes to a Buddhist monk for advice on how to live a happy life. The monk replies with the phrase: "Tuhao, let's be friends!"