REAL INTERNET CHINESE
a grass stage troupe
a sloppy amateur crew pretending to be professionals
- Who can you say it to?
- Friends and coworkers Normal among people your own age. Skip it with elders, clients and officials.
- Out loud, or only typed?
- Say it or type it Works out loud and in chat.
- Is it still used?
- Hot right now In heavy use at the moment.
When to say it
An old word for rough traveling opera troupes, now the great discovery that the whole world is run by one. Your company, big organizations, maybe everything is held together with tape. Say it with a knowing sigh when the fancy institution turns out to be chaos inside.
Hear it in the wild
Bié kàn shì dà gōngsī, qíshí cǎotái bānzi.
Big company on paper, total amateur hour inside.
Yuánlái zhè shìjiè shì ge cǎotái bānzi.
Turns out the whole world runs on duct tape.
Quick answers
What does 草台班子 mean?
a sloppy amateur crew pretending to be professionals
When do people say 草台班子?
An old word for rough traveling opera troupes, now the great discovery that the whole world is run by one. Your company, big organizations, maybe everything is held together with tape. Say it with a knowing sigh when the fancy institution turns out to be chaos inside.
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