Red Guard 红卫兵

Basically middle-school and college students during the "Cultural Revolution" that Chairman Mao allowed to act as revolutionaries. In primary schools, Little Red Guards replaced the Young Pioneers. The "Gang of Four" used Red Guards to challenge authority. They were a key cause of social disorder, but their reign ended in 1978.
在文化大革命时期，几乎所有的中学生和大学生都是革命的“红卫兵”。在小学，小红卫兵替代了少先队员。“四人帮”利用红卫兵来挑战权威。他们是导致社会动乱的主要原因。1978年，“四人帮”终于被彻底粉碎，红卫兵也不复存在。

1970s 20世纪70年代

educated youth 知青

From the mid-1960s to the late-1970s, about 17 million urban middle school grads answered Mao's call and flocked to the countryside. They were encouraged to pay respect to and learn from the peasants. By 1979, most educated youth were heading back to the cities but they had a hard time adapting to the changed world.
60年代中期到70年代末，约1700万城市中学毕业生响应毛主席的号召来到农村。他们被告诫要尊敬农民，向农民学习。到了1979年，大多数知青返回城市。但是他们很难适应新的社会。

pull string 走后门

Literally, "entering through the back door". It originated under the planned economy when people used connections to get goods from the back door of a state-owned shop. This string-pulling reached a sort of climax in the late 1970s when the "educated youth" tried everything possible to get back to the cities.
“走后门”可直译为"entering through the back door"。该词源自计划经济下人们利用自己的关系从国营商店的后门获取商品这一行为。这种现象在70年代末知青绞尽脑汁返回城市时达到了高潮。

laowai 老外

“老外”直译就是"old foreigner"。“老外”这一新词出现在70年代末，改革开放后，大批外国人涌入中国。起初，该词含有一种戏弄的口气。如今，该词多用为一种友好的昵称。比如大山这种在中国居住、工作或学习时间较久，精通中国文化的外国人常被称作an old China hand中国通。

1980s 20世纪80年代

iron rice bowl 铁饭碗

A secure, lifetime job assigned by the government. Where was no fear of losing the job. By the 1980s, with the new market economy, there was a competitive model of employment. And the cherished iron rice bowl was gone after more than 30 years.
“铁饭碗”指由政府提供的有保证的终生制工作。因此，这些人永远不愁失去工作。然而，到了80年代，在新的市场经济体制下，就业竞争机制出现。存在了30多年之后，备受人们喜爱的“铁饭碗”退出了历史舞台。

all-round good student 三好学生

Literally, "thrice-good", given to students who were virtuous, talented, and good at PE; first used in the 1950s by Mao to encourage young people to keep fit, study well, and work hard.

“三好学生”直译为"thrice-good"，指在德、智、体三方面都很优秀的学生。该词最早在50年代由毛主席提出，旨在鼓励年轻人强身健体、努力学习、勤奋工作。