豆腐渣工程

dòufuzhā gōngchéng

noun

Measure Word

一项豆腐渣工程 xiàng

Meanings

1 jerry-built construction project
2 shoddy construction (lit. 'tofu-dregs project')
3 shoddily built infrastructure

Characters

tofu (here, with 豆 = 豆腐 dòufu)

project; process

Examples

HSK 7-9

这座桥才修了三年就出现裂缝，简直是豆腐渣工程。

Zhè zuò qiáo cái xiū le sān nián jiù chūxiàn lièfèng, jiǎnzhí shì dòufuzhā gōngchéng.

This bridge has cracks after only three years - it's a textbook tofu-dregs project.

HSK 7-9

地震暴露了不少豆腐渣工程。

Dìzhèn bàolù le bùshǎo dòufuzhā gōngchéng.

The earthquake exposed plenty of shoddy construction projects.

Tips

history

Popularized in 1998 when Premier 朱镕基 inspected dike repairs after the Yangtze floods and angrily called the substandard work 豆腐渣工程. The phrase has since become the standard Chinese term for any shoddy public-works project - the image is concrete that crumbles like soybean dregs (豆腐渣, the leftover pulp from making tofu).

register

Strongly negative, often used in news headlines and online critique. Pairs with 形象工程 ('vanity projects') and 烂尾楼 ('rotting-tail / abandoned half-built towers') in Chinese discussions of construction-quality scandals.

Stroke Order

豆 dòu

腐 fǔ

渣 zhā

工 gōng

程 chéng