Yao Ming's smiling emoji has emerged frequently in local traffic signs to remind people the road ahead is one-way. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In Everyday Use Abroad

This is not the first time the Chinese emoji takes the world stage. Earlier this year, one emoji from the Chinese basketball celebrity Yao Ming has been spread through the Middle East region. In Luxor, a city in southern Egypt, Yao's smiling emoji has emerged frequently in local traffic signs to remind people the road ahead is one-way.

And you may be surprised to find that many locals do not know Yao Ming but are familiar with his emoji and nickname "Chinese Funny Face". What's more, the emoji has been picked up by the Egyptian English-language daily newspaper Egyptian Gazette as the title picture for its humorous column Serious but Funny.

What's more, due to the huge influences of Chinese Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, many renowned western celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna have opened their personal accounts on the platform.

Many Chinese fans are excited about this and now choose to greet them with their own funny pictures, a behavior arousing the attention of foreign media. American private Internet media company BuzzFeed reported on the cultural phenomenon.

Many renowned western celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna have opened their personal accounts on Sina Weibo. [Photo/Weibo]

As a newly emerging online language, emojis have risen to become an integral part of people's daily life. Emojis are able to help people express their views in a more vivid and precise fashion. Also, it can help foreigners learn about Chinese culture and learn the language.

As Chinese emojis have slowly entered the world stage, how to properly use "the fifth innovation in China", a humorous name for emojis, without hurting others and how to turn them into commercial advantages still need answers.

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