river crab

English

Etymology 1

A calque of Chinese 河蟹 (héxiè).

Noun

river crab (plural river crabs)

1. A Chinese mitten crab.

Etymology 2

From 河蟹 (héxiè, “river crab”) above, a near-homonym of 和谐 (héxié, “harmony”), referring to China's Harmonious Society campaign.

Noun

river crab

1. (Internet slang) Government censorship.

Usage notes

• Used by Chinese netizens.