Big Boxer Shorts

大裤衩 (dà kùchǎ): the big boxer shorts

This is the slang term given to the CCTV building designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. The building has been said to resemble a pair of walking legs, a person squatting over a toilet, and a woman’s genitals. In response to the criticism, the architect has denied any impure motives.

After the term “big boxer shorts” began to spread, CCTV became concerned and launched a massive PR effort to persuade people to use a more respectful nickname for the oddly shaped building. The more CCTV tried to persuade people to avoid using the term, however, the more it stuck.

Beijing has been called an architect's playground due to the number of daring and strangely shaped buildings that have been constructed in recent years. The city is also home to the Beijing National Stadium, known as the “Bird's Nest,” and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, known as the “Giant Egg.”