"Well fed foreigners pointing fingers at well fed Chinese...". When you have no defence, change the subject, and blame the foreigners. Hypocrisy knows no borders.

not only are the critical foreigners well-fed, they are invariably well-groomed. The snakes.

I am very disappointed at Xi Jinping's attitude and his personal image! Just want to post the following at somewhere- blocked from posting on some Chinese BBS sites:

*简论为何 薄熙来 应该成为下一届中国主要领导人*

我没有什么深刻的理论，正如标题，我想说的基本说完了。

现在的领导人，胡和温，是好人，但是形象超级刻板，太有些“迂腐”！
下一代领导人，以现在的选择，简直没有任何改观，肥的肥，呆的呆，完全是属于那种没有性格，没有激情，让人无法喜爱的人！！

中国需要一个让人喜欢的人来领导，我看薄熙来从形象到性格，都是有个性，有气度，有风格的人！

为什么朱镕基时代，或者说江泽民时代的中国在世界上的形象要比现在的好很多？和老朱那血性的风格是分不开的！中国需要的是个性！未来的中国的年轻人在世界上形象是阳光的，健康的，中国人是幽默的！

中国人不仅仅是善良的，不仅仅是感人的，不仅仅是愁苦出身的。中国人更是幽默的，会调侃的，潇洒的，善解人意的，阳刚的！！

如果不从根本上改变中国人自己的心态，中国人自己的形象，中国人永远不会建立起正面看待自己的信心。

中国首先需要一个里根式的领导！需要天天在新闻联播中看到一个让人能接受的形象！！！

Xi Jinping is spelling troubles and conflicts between the US and China nations in the foreseeable future. Every time he opens his mouth, he's spitting anti-west provocative propaganda and rhetoric.

His stances are much harder than Hu, and if he is to take power at anytime, you can be sure the shit will hit the fan, big time.

He's probably one of the opponent of Hu's politics and this might explain in great part why Hu has been nervous about the party unity recently.

He could support freedom of the press and expression at home and hear some not-so-well-fed or paid Chinese people tell him some home truths.

"well fed foreigners who have nothing better to do" (吃饱了,没事干)is just a Chinese phase meaning people who mind other people's business (instead of their own.) So don't drill on the well fed too much, it's just an idiom like "to pay an arm and leg". A less polite variation of this is 吃饱了撑的.

Oh my god... What a prick!
Typical dictator theory ,please apply that to North Korea!

I am strongly worried about china's future now ... with an idiot like this man.

If well fed foreigners behave badly, be careful about well fed Chinese. Xi looks well fed, and he is THE next president. I think we have seen his best performance as a politico this time. He is going to be so popular, in China, that he will have no problem succeeding Hu. But he also shown the world what he is really like at this early stage. The world has a few years to get ready for his brand of China.

I think it was probably what Hu himself wanted to say in response to the shoe incident happened to Wen, but Hu's position prohibits him to unleash such rhetoric, so his vice-brother said it FOR him. it's called "red face and white face"(一个唱红脸一个唱白脸）, and its a traditional trick.

so its not a big deal, they knew what they were doing, besides, when Xi has taken office, his position will again require him to be calm.

The phrase is not very diplomatic. But we had a taster earlier with Mr Xi's (brief) Shanghai reign and the Olympics. He's a big fan of ming ge, so get ready for that...

ming ge huh, oh yeah. forgot about his singer wife

The next president simply should not have made a remark like that...it's stupid

Inspired to build a shrine to Li Keqiang in my over-stocked fridge now.

hahaha...
can I throw a shoe on him?

Translating 吃饱了没事干 as well fed and have nothing better to do is a bit stretching it. It basically means just having nothing better to do. The 吃饱了 bit doesn't carry much meaning and certainly shouldn't be taken literally. Also, when he said foreigners, I think he meant foreign governments and media, not so much common folks and certainly not foreigners who live in China.

That said, he could've phrased more diplomatically, although what he said was pretty much true. Some people do need someone to tell them to shut up. 牢骚太盛防肠断，风物长宜放眼量.

Bush likely didn't mean to say half of the stuff he said either. Mr. Xi is either an ass, a poor public speaker, or both.

There's no reason to ignore the first clause in the phrase, and so an apt colloquial translation would be "well-off, with nothing else to do".

take it easy people, Ahmadinejad and Chavez rave at UN like wild boar and yet no one cares. its not a big deal.

but we have to say that this is not a correct statement a vice-president should make

it is not only if he made it to world audience, in this case he didn't, and he was apparently targeting the domestic folks, I can't even find this story on major foreign medias which means nobody cares what he says.

The world is looking towards China to bail them out of the economic mess they created. Now, the same entities who were quick to take advantage of China's economic boom for the past several decades, exploit China's workers to their own advantage and fatten their bottom line, and thumbed their nose at this "third world country and didn't make a sound when they were raking in their profits... all of a sudden blame China for all their woes.... How ironic.

What he said is completely right..

Ji Feng Jing Cao

"Translating 吃饱了没事干 as well fed and have nothing better to do is a bit stretching it. It basically means just having nothing better to do. The 吃饱了 bit doesn't carry much meaning and certainly shouldn't be taken literally."

I think "well fed" conveys perfectly the smug attitude and worry-free lives of many people who attend demonstrations for various causes at Chinese embassies around the world.

This is the type of thing I think Xi was referring to.

That's a fair point, even if underfed discontents in China bristle at the assumption that all Chinese have the same politics as Xi and his friends.

Aside from that, "well-fed" connects with the "hunger" in the next sentence, almost demanding that the expression be translated in full.

No matter how you translate it, the message is simple: Don't look at China. Don't look at what the government is doing!

Chinese politicians are so afraid of attention that it's becoming highly suspicious. The world gives China a glance and already the vice president is barking like an 8-year-old.

I wonder how much they have to hide.

This jerk could become China's George Bush - and that is not offered as a compliment.

吃饱了没事干

With stomach full and nothing better to do

I don't get you people, what is the big deal?

First, it was a casual talk, not a formal speech which most unlikely doesn't reflect official policy.

The bad translation provided by Jeremy aside, what is wrong with what Xi said? Is it not correct that the self-righteous and preachy west should spend more time looking at itself in the mirror and reflect its own problems instead of pointing fingers at countries like China?

Third, hold on people. I don't know how you people can judge people by just a few sentences.

And finally Jeremy, what "worry-free" lives? You think those Chinese who live overseas are as worry-free as some of you folks living here?

Pffefer:

Welcome you to provide more high quality translation.

To Pffefer

What???!!!
It is not worth noticing just because it is a casual talk? Why elegant English prince need to apologize for his racial remark even it is a casual talk?

If you want to bark like an 8-year-old, please do not be a public figure, especially a country's vice-president.

Aside from that, dont you think it is a typical wife-beater theory? Oh, Since I do not beat/fuck/twist your wife ,then torturing my own wife is none of your business??!!

woooww you people are really making this a big shit??? unbelievable.

you see, we been complaining about chinese officials' uninspiring old-fashioned verbose lengthy crap speech, and now this guy took things a little personally with a little freedom and uniqueness, I say we give a big thumbup for this, not because the essence of his rhetoric but because his reforming attitude.

and you are stupid if you think this means anything for his presidency, he still has a long way to go, a lot to learn and adapt before being a well-groomed leader, in which there are lot of rooms for change.

AND for those doom-prophet, his words send a signal that's directly opposite of what you perceive, he is telling everybody, either chinese or foreigners in this case, to SPEAK UP what you believe, and isn't this freedom of speech is all about??

If you've ever been in China for more than 10 minutes--or 5 minutes in Southern China--you'd know that food is the foundation of Chinese culture and society. Chi bao le fan, mei shi gan, is an expression that simply means "got nothing to do." For many people in China, eating is the most important thing they do all day. Once they've cooked dinner and stuffed it down their pie holes, there's really nothing more to do.

Jeremy,

Jin Feng Jin Cao already provided much better translation. My translation would be something to the effect of "XXX has nothing better to do so XXX does ZZZ, yuck".

Yohan,

With all due respect, cut the crap please. What Xi said is being equated to what prince Harry said? Again I ask, what's wrong with what Xi said? What's so wrong about it? So it is OK for an average joe to say it but it is not OK for the veep to say it, even though there is nothing wrong with it? Leaders and politicians must mot be blunt? Seriously, what's so controversial about the whole thing?

You should ask the wife whether she is unhappy, and whether she wants a total stranger like you barging into her house and telling her husband to back off. Keep in mind you are not the cop (the UN might be, but not you).

Self-righteousness is so sickening.

I cannot appreciate this talk just because Xi has shown some 'personality' thus he might be more open and might start/accelerate the political reform.

When Hu first mentioned 'bu zheteng', people have many different explanations. Does it mean 'don't do something stupid such as culture revolution', or 'don't do something impractical such as democratic reform'? Put it together with Xi's talk, it clearly means the later, unfortunately.

Actually I can see most Chinese ppl, including well-educated oversea Chinese, agree with him though he could have chosen a softer tone. It's definitely a sign that China will be more aggressive in international politics if Xi comes into power. It could be a good thing and a bad thing...No matter what, the world will watch China becoming more aggressive in protecting its national interest worldwide, just like USA, and working with other regional powers to build a new international political system, the one that is not necessarily dominated by USA.

there is nothing wrong with "agressively protecting national interests", provided it is the interests of the people, not the ruling elites.

but sadly, few people understand that concept, the government often equates the national interests to their own, and in turn filfulling their will in the name of national interests.

Jeremy: "I think "well fed" conveys perfectly the smug attitude and worry-free lives of many people who attend demonstrations for various causes at Chinese embassies around the world."

is this your interpretation or Xi's? Because I think some of the Tibetan protesters may be shocked to learn they live "smug" and "worry-free" lives.

大家不要忘了：老习在说“老外吃饱了没事干对中国政府指手划脚的时候。”老中就能没有吃饱也有事干下对中国现政府哪怕是指一下手指，而不说划脚了！
Hei, guys, do not forget that while blabbering Xi said:"There are some well fed foreigners who have nothing better to do than point fingers at our affairs", our underfed, struggling for life Chinese people who have too many things better to do, then have no need nor time nor the nerve to even flip their fingers at their own affairs?

China does not, first, export revolution;
-How about North Korea and Vietnam?

second, export poverty and hunger;
-How about China's support of the genocide in Sudan? The starvation in Zimbabwe?

third, cause troubles for you.
-How about Taiwan and Tibet?