Waiting for the hottest word of the year

We are reaching the end of the year, a year full of buzzwords. The process of selecting the buzzwords for 2014 started late last month, and for the first time since the event started in 2006 people can vote for their favorite words or terms through weibo, microblogging service, and WeChat. The result will be declared on Dec 19.

The hottest word or term of the year has over the past few years come to reflect the social and economic trends in the country, and the concerns of the people. In the past, the sources of popular words or terms used to be Chinese language newspapers and books. But thanks to the fast development of the Internet and cellphones, especially social media, cyberspace has made a fair share of contribution to the development and recreation of the Chinese language.

This year, many experts expect "APEC blue" to be the hottest term. "APEC blue" was coined by Chinese netizens to describe Beijing's clear blue skies during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November.