posted by murrayjames on July 28, 2012 | 2 comments
I know that 非主流 means anti-mainstream, but am wondering how it's used in practice.

Is it similar to the words "alternative" and "indie" in English? What kinds of people would be 非主流？ Political activists, journalists, musicians, artists? Can celebrities be 非主流？

Thank you!

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Echo on July 29, 2012 | reply
@murrayjames,

It's actually a new and fashional word to say that something is different from others. For instance: 他的发型很非主流 (His hair style is very special)；这是一份非主流的工作 (This is a very special job). It could be positive or negative.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

Brendan on July 29, 2012 | reply
I seem to hear 非主流 being used negatively these days, but that might just be my sources. It's similar in concept to "indie," but since it's defined more by what it isn't than what it is -- 非 is more "non-" than "anti-" here -- it's pretty much a catchall.