profiteering 倒爷

For the market economy, a dual-pricing system was tried in 1979. The price of certain goods was fixed and they were distributed instead of sold. If a factory exceeded its quota, it could sell the surplus at a higher price. People close to government or factory officials got the low-priced goods and sold them at a higher price. This profiteering was outlawed in 1987.

在 1979年的市场经济体制下，价格双轨制开始实行。那时，某些特定商品的价格是固定的，这些商品不对外出售而是采取分配的方式。若生产量超出配额，工厂可以高价卖出这些剩余商品。如此一来，那些政府、工厂领导的"关系户"就能以低价买进这些商品，然后再高价卖出。到了1987年，这种倒买倒卖的行为才被禁止。

youth waiting for job 待业青年

The unemployed young people of the 1980s, after the government stopped assigning jobs to middle school grads, at State-owned enterprises or government offices. Some unemployed youth could "inherit" a post from a retired parent. Others tried small businesses.

80年代，政府停止为中学毕业生提供国企及政府机关的工作机会，致使社会上出现大批待业青年。其中，一部分人能从退休父母那里继承工作；另一部分人则只能选择小型企业。

1990s 20世纪90年代

speculate in stock 炒股

Investing in the stock market was the order of the day in the late 1990s after the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges opened. Chinese used a word from cooking, "chao" (stir-fry), to describe the unstable nature of the trading, which involved keeping the shares moving (buying and selling) to keep it hot.

90年代，上海、深圳交易所创立后，股票市场投资大行其道。根据其不稳定的特征，中国人用烹饪中的“炒”（翻炒）来形容炒股交易，该词还包含了保持股票不断买卖交易、维持股票热度的含义。