[ Qualifier ]

So-called

In Chinese Communist Party discourse, “so-called” (所谓的) can function to reference commonly used terms, but often serves as a rhetorical device to delegitimize concepts, ideas, or assertions that run counter to Party positions. When officials use this modifier in political contexts, they typically signal that the referenced concept is fabricated, hypocritical, or invalid from the Party’s perspective. The qualifier serves multiple rhetorical functions: it creates distance between the speaker and the concept being discussed, implies that the concept lacks legitimacy, and preemptively dismisses opposing viewpoints without necessitating substantive engagement with their factual basis. This qualifier is particularly effective in ideological and diplomatic disputes because it simultaneously acknowledges an opposing concept while indicating to the audience that it should be regarded with skepticism. In contemporary applications, Chinese state media routinely applies this qualifier to Western political concepts when criticizing foreign policies or defending China against external criticism.

Key Examples

“American so-called freedom of speech actually just reveals ‘American double standards’… The so-called ‘freedom of speech’ is merely a political weapon.” — People’s Liberation Army Daily, January 17, 2021
“The US State Department once again takes its narrow understanding of human rights as the so-called ‘human rights standard,’ categorizing all situations that differ from its standard as ‘human rights violations,’ and using the report results as a tool to suppress countries with different political systems.” — People’s Daily, April 8, 2021
“Following the incident, the DPP authorities have resorted to sophistry and have concocted the so-called concept of ‘prohibited and restricted waters’ to confuse the public and shirk responsibility for the egregious act of disregarding the safety of the lives and properties of mainland fishermen.” — Xinhua News Agency, February 2024