Beijing bikini

English

Bicycle-repair man in a Beijing bikini.

Pronunciation

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Noun

Beijing bikini (plural Beijing bikinis)

1. (slang, humorous) A rolled-up T-shirt that bares the wearer's midriff, a means of cooling down in the sweltering heat of China's urban areas.
   • 2016 September 1, Andrew Jacobs, “How Some Chinese Men Meet Summer’s Swelter: With Midriff Bare and Bulging”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     A man near Beijing’s Forbidden City this month rolled up his shirt, a way to keep cool known as the Beijing bikini.

   • 2019 July 5, Alan Weedon, “'Beijing bikini' ban leaves sweltering Chinese hot under the collar”, in ABC News‎^[2]:

     China is no stranger to this garment as its steamy climate has created an idiosyncratic offshoot, known as Beijing bikini, where older men roll their tops up and expose their midriff in a bid to keep cool.