Meaning of tofu dreg | Babel Free

Definitions

A poorly constructed building in China, or the shoddy material(s) used to construct it.

attributive, in-plural, often

Examples

“No one asks about the shoddy “tofu-dregs engineering”; instead, we blindly accuse “running teacher Fan.” Nationalism is only a fig leaf for the feeble-minded, a tricky maneuver that prevents everyone from seeing the complete⟳ picture.”

“In the 2008 Sichuan earthquake several thousand school buildings collapsed, killing thousands of children and bringing the world's attention to the shoddy “tofu-dregs” buildings and rampant corruption that had skimmed the public funds ...”

“Tan Zuoron, a writer who tried to document “shoddy tofu-dregs construction” that might have⟳ caused massive school-building collapses, was sentenced to prison.”

“[…] teachers, teaching assistants, and school nurses would have⟳ died in the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 had the buildings not been made of tofu dregs.”

“For example, the Kunming-Luquan highway in Kunming, Yunnan Province, had become⟳ a “tofu dreg project.””

“Individual Chinese citizens explicitly criticized the Ministry of Railway, describing it with such disparaging terms as ‘asshole’ and ‘bastard,’ and described the high-speed train⟳ project as one of the ‘tofu-dreg projects (豆腐渣工程 in Mandarin),’ which referred to projects with poor [quality].”

“Tofu dregs, which crumble at the slightest touch⟳, have⟳ become⟳ the go-to image for referring to building and infrastructure projects that use⟳ substandard materials and shoddy design⟳ to cut⟳ costs during construction.”

“Between 2008 and 2009, he investigated student casualties due to the collapse of “tofu-dreg” (shoddy) school buildings in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake. A list of 5,385 names was collected, for which he was severely beaten.”

“‘Tofu-dreg Projects’ during the Ming dynasty.”

“The poor condition of tofu dregs schoolhouses was used to explain⟳ the high casualty rate, but the statistic did not fly⟳. The ratio of young to old among the dead—roughly one to ten—ought to have⟳ been less stark.”

“Corruption is not to be discussed, “tofu-dregs construction” [a metaphor for shoddy work⟳, using flimsy materials] is off limits, unpleasant evidence is suppressed. In the name⟳ of “stability maintenance,” they threaten⟳, detain, ...”

CEFR level