Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective slang, derogatory (of objects) cheap, Asian and of inferior quality.
  • adjective slang, derogatory (of a person) low-quality, unfit for their occupation or station in life.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Dates back to the onset of Chinese trade with Zimbabwean at the turn of the 21st Century. It stems from the way the Chinese language sounds to a Zimbabwean.

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Examples

  • Zimbabweans derisively call cheap-quality Chinese goods "zhing-zhong".

    Guardian Online 2010

  • Assuming the worst about the Chinese is something of a reflex among Zimbabweans, who use the scathing term zhing-zhong to describe anything defective, be it a political agreement or a cheaply made radio.

    Mail & Guardian Online 2010

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