Tā shì yí ge diǎnxíng de běipiāo, zhù zài wǔhuán wài de hézū fáng.
He's a typical Beijing drifter, living in a shared apartment outside the fifth ring road.
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culture
The 漂 (drift) image captures the rootlessness of life without a Beijing hukou — no local schools for your kids, higher barriers to buy a house or a car. Parallel terms: 沪漂 (Shanghai), 深漂 (Shenzhen).
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Used both as a noun (the person) and a verb (the act of doing it). Casual, often self-deprecating when people describe their own situation.
