China syndrome

Etymology
Popularized via the 1979 disaster thriller film .

Noun

 * 1)  A hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and penetrates the Earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China.
 * 2)  A behavior, policy, or situation characteristic of or involving China; an actual or potential catastrophe, especially one involving China.
 * 3) * 2005, Justin Lahart. "Ahead of the Tape," Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed.), 6 Oct., p. C1:
 * And then there is the China syndrome. China now represents about 20% of Korea's total trade.
 * 1)  A rare disease, first characterized in the early 1990s, which resembles polio but which has somewhat different characteristics and occurs in persons vaccinated for polio.
 * 1)  A behavior, policy, or situation characteristic of or involving China; an actual or potential catastrophe, especially one involving China.
 * 2) * 2005, Justin Lahart. "Ahead of the Tape," Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed.), 6 Oct., p. C1:
 * And then there is the China syndrome. China now represents about 20% of Korea's total trade.
 * 1)  A rare disease, first characterized in the early 1990s, which resembles polio but which has somewhat different characteristics and occurs in persons vaccinated for polio.
 * 1)  A rare disease, first characterized in the early 1990s, which resembles polio but which has somewhat different characteristics and occurs in persons vaccinated for polio.

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 中國綜合症
 * Finnish:
 * French: syndrome chinois
 * German: China-Syndrom
 * Italian: sindrome cinese
 * Japanese: チャイナ・シンドローム
 * Polish:
 * Portuguese: síndrome da China
 * Russian: кита́йский синдро́м