Idle chit-chat

闲扯淡 (xián chědàn): idle chit-chat

When a resident of Hubei wrote a letter to the mayor of Yingcheng complaining that a particular project lacked sufficient on-site investigation, he received the following reply.

Our office has no time to engage with you in idle chit-chat. If you have something to say, come and say it directly at our office.

After this incident, the phrase “idle chit-chat” become a popular internet meme.