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An internet slang phrase which became popular two years ago has resurfaced in media discussions over the last few weeks.

The phrase is “full-time children” (全职儿女):

“Full-time children — a new buzzword for young adults who, instead of seeking traditional employment, stay at home to provide emotional support and help with household chores, while their parents cover their living expenses.”

这两年有个名词很火，叫”全职儿女”，顾名思义就是孩子不找工作，全职在家，给父母提供情绪价值或者一些基本的劳动力保障，然后自己的日常经济开销由父母提供。

It’s a new twist on an older slang phrase which we’ve also covered before in this newsletter: “parasite generation” (啃老族).

“Parasite generation” is borrowed from Japanese (パラサイト・シングル), which is a transliteration of the English phrase.

It became a common expression in Japan during its economic crash in the 1990’s. That was time described as the “lost thirty years” (失去的30年), when many young people became trapped in low-paying jobs, unable to afford to buy a home. So many of them gave up working and moved back in with their parents to live off family savings.

So “parasite generation” (啃老族) has strong negative connotations. Whereas, according to Chinese media discussions, this new phrase taking off in China right now, “full-time children” (全职儿女), carries a different and slightly more positive meaning.

Because unlike in Japan during the ‘90’s, these young Chinese people are “employed” to provide genuine support to the household, such as cooking, cleaning, caring for ageing grandparents, and offering “emotional value” (情绪价值).

Related

But the causes behind the emergence of “full-time children” are similar to those in Japan which gave rise to its “parasite generation”.

First, as we’ve discussed in this newsletter, China’s graduates are struggling to find work. A record 11.58 million students graduated from Chinese universities last year. At a time when many entry-level jobs are being “replaced and eliminated” (汰换) by AI.

Second, by 2022, people aged 60 and above made up nearly 15% of China’s population. With elderly parents increasingly in need of support, and young people increasingly unable to find stable work or afford to buy a house, staying home and being “employed” by elderly parents is a win-win for both.

People now in their 50s and 60s have saved well during China’s boom years of the nineties and naughties, and now many of them also draw a pension. So for them, as the saying goes, “adding another pair of chopsticks to the table” (添双筷子) isn’t much of a hardship.

“In an era of labor shortages and abundant opportunity, staying home was dismissed as being lazy.

But now with a stagnant economy and a harsh job market, staying close to your parents has become the second best option.“

那时候劳动缺口大，出去遍地都能找到活儿干。你躲在家里不出门，靠父母养活，那大概率就是懒惰。但现在，当社会发展慢了下来，当外面的钱不好赚了，留在父母身边啃老成为次优解。

A third reason is China’s stressed housing market.

For most young people, property has become too expensive to buy without funding from their parents. So it’s become normalised for parents to pay to help get kids on the property ladder.

Now that’s extending further, with many parents agreeing to employ their kids at home rather than let them grind away in a low-paid “workhorse” (牛马) jobs in big cities far from home.

In economic terms, there’s even a Chinese phrase to describe what’s happening:

“This is called intergenerational transfers.”

用经济学的专业术语来说，这叫代际转移支付。

While “full-time children” are seen in a more positive light than the “parasite generation” before them, there are many people who see this trend as a bad thing. Because it can lead to laziness and lack of ambition among young people at a time in their lives when they should be working hard as their parents did before them.

One writer highlights the pitfalls of hiring your own kids, sharing a story of his friend who “hired” his daughter into the family business:

“She made some friends back home and started hanging out with them all the time.

She became really patchy about coming into the office, too — sometimes she wouldn’t show up for a whole week.”

她在国内也有了一些朋友，天天就跟她们混在一块了，去公司也是三天打鱼两天晒网，有时候一个星期都见不到人。

But in a labour market this depressed, and with property prices still so high, “full-time children” has become one way of naming and normalising a reality many families are already living.

Although as one netizen jokes, being a full-time child is not without its indignities:

“The most educated in the whole family is coincidentally also the lowest paid.”

全家学历最高，工资最低。

So, that’s what we’re exploring this week!

Favourite Five

1. 啃老族 kěn lǎo zú

relying on parents financially, parasite single

往前倒推10—20年，哪有全职儿女，那叫啃老族 - There was no such thing as “full-time children” 10-20 years ago.They were just called parasite singles. [1]

• Related:

  • 啃老 kěn lǎo – to rely on parents financially

2. 打感情牌 dǎ gǎn qíng pái

play the emotional card, appeal to emotions

打感情牌，说你父母也挺不容易的啥的 - He then started to sympathise with the parents, saying things like they haven’t had it easy. [2]

3. 自力更生 zì lì gēng shēng

self-reliance, support oneself

父母都只养到他们18岁，然后他们就必须脱离家庭，自力更生 - Parents only support the kids before they turn 18, and then the kids are expected to move out and support themselves. [1]

4. 全职儿女 quán zhí ér nǚ

unemployed adult living with parents, full-time children

这两年有个名词很火，叫“全职儿女”，顾名思义就是孩子不找工作，全职在家，给父母提供情绪价值或者一些基本的劳动力保障 - There is a new buzzword called full-time children, which describes young adults who, instead of seeking traditional employment, stay at home to provide emotional support and help with household chores. [1]

5. 添双筷子 tiān shuāng kuài zi

add another mouth to feed, take one more person in

把孩子留在身边也就是添双筷子的事情 - For many parents, the marginal cost of supporting their children who stay at home is negligible. It’s just a matter of “providing an extra pair of chopsticks at the table”. [1]

Consuming the Conversation

Useful words

6. 托底 tuō dǐ

provide a safety net, back someone up

年轻人考公考研，中年人结婚育儿，或多或少都需要父母的托底 - Whether it’s young people taking civil service or graduate exams, or middle-aged couples navigating marriage and parenthood, they all need some kind of financial support from their parents. [1]

• Related:

  • 托举 tuō jǔ – to lift up, support

  • 家底 jiā dǐ - financial background

7. 殷实 yīn shí

well-off, financially secure

家底殷实的家庭，宁愿孩子拿着钱吃吃喝喝，安稳度日 - The well-to-do would rather prefer that their children coast through life using the parents’ money. [1]

8. 数落 shǔ luo

to scold, to nag

父母也一样，能给到短期帮助的，就别常数落孩子了 - The same goes for the parents. If they can offer short-term help, they shouldn’t keep telling their children off. [3]

9. 庇护 bì hù

shelter, protection

在父母的庇护下，成了在家陪爸妈的全职儿女了 - Under the wings of their parents, they have become full-time children providing companionship at home. [3]

Three-character phrases

10. 次优解 cì yōu jiě

second-best solution, suboptimal choice

当外面的钱不好赚了，留在父母身边啃老成为次优解 - With a harsh job market, staying with the parents becomes the second best option. [1]

11. 瞎折腾 xiā zhē teng

to mess around, to make pointless trouble

只要她不瞎折腾就行，我还是能够养得起的 - As long as she doesn’t blow it all on something meaningless, I can still foot the bill for her. [2]

12. 家里蹲 jiā lǐ dūn

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The Beijing Human and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon took place on April 19 in Yizhuang (亦庄), a district in the southeastern suburbs of the capital.

The Chinese name for the race is even more of a mouthful than the English: 半程马拉松暨人形机器人半程马拉松

It’s now in its second year, we discussed the first half marathon back in April 2025.

In that race, robots of all shapes and sizes lurched down the course, many falling before the finish line. The winner in 2025 was Tiangong Ultra (天工Ultra) which crossed the line in 2 hours 40 minutes.

One year on and the event looks almost unrecognisable:

This year’s competitors have seen marked gains in both efficiency and stability.

Their on-track performance is far more consistent, reflecting a leap in several fundamental capabilities.

今年参赛的机器人，其运行效率与稳定性均有提升，赛道表现更趋稳定，背后对应的是多项底层能力的同步进步。

102 teams competed in the race, with over 300 robots from 26 brands running alongside human competitors on the same course. Teams from 13 provinces across China, as well as overseas labs from Germany, France, and Brazil took part.

The 21-kilometre course was more challenging than last year’s. It took the competitors through different terrains including slopes, narrow sections, and sharp bends of almost 90 degrees.

Fewer than half of the robots made it to the finish line.

The pre-race favourite was the H1 by Unitree Robotics (宇树科技), which had clocked speeds of up to 7.51 metres per second in qualifying. But on the day, it fell near the finish line and was unable to complete the race.

The winner was a surprise to many, and a new entrant this year.

It was called Lightning (闪电), built by smartphone manufacturer Honor (荣耀). Lightning had its wobbles along the way, falling around 200 metres from the finish. But it managed to complete the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, smashing the human world record for that distance.

Second and third places were also taken by Honor-made robots.

In fact the mobile brand swept all six of the top places. That’s despite Honor’s robotics division only being established since mid-2025. With most of the core team drawn from its existing smartphone research and development unit.

While Honor’s dominance on the podium did come as a surprise to many, it was not such a shock to the Honor team. They went into the race with confidence as Lightning had completed the course in the pre-race dry run in around 50 minutes, without running at full speed:

After the robot from Honor shattered human records while “holding back” during pre-race testing, the team knew that the race was in the bag.

在开赛前一周的全要素路测中，荣耀机器人”收着跑”仅发挥七八成功力，就打破了人类最好半马纪录，团队内部当时就觉得，夺冠已是”探囊取物”。

Related

Although the team behind Lightning is new, this win has been much longer in the making.

Speaking in Beijing after the race, Honor’s Chief Strategy Officer for Embodied Intelligence, Wang Ai (王皑), explained:

“Why was Honor able to build ‘Lightning’ at lightning speed in just six months?

The answer lies in a decade of experience in the smartphone supply chain.”

The ecosystem we built for consumer electronics — from precision structural components and sensors to LiDAR and cooling systems— has all been repurposed for our robots.”

“为什么荣耀能够在6个月这样一个’闪电’的时间里做出’闪电’？这背后是我们在手机制造业供应链上十年经验的积累。”荣耀在消费电子领域沉淀的供应链体系，从精密结构件到传感器，从激光雷达到散热泵体等，都复用到了机器人身上。

In March last year, Honor CEO Li Jian (李健) launched the company’s “Alpha Plan”, setting out its transformation from a smartphone manufacturer into a “global leading AI device ecosystem company” (全球领先的 AI 终端生态公司).

He committed to an investment of $10 billion dollars over the next five years. And it’s already yielding results: in March this year, Honor launched its first “robot phone” (机器人手机) with a camera which apparently has the agility of a human neck!

The sudden dominance of Honor in this race is a sign of things to come in China’s embodied intelligence sector. “Embodied intelligence” (具身智能) is a phrase we’ll be hearing much in the coming months and years — which we first shared with you in November last year.

This is what's known as a “wind vent” (风口), which we translate as “the next big thing”. These are sectors which suddenly become hugely popular with investors who deploy massive amounts of cash into start-ups in the sector looking for quick returns.

And that’s certainly happening in China’s embodied intelligence industry. According to one research firm, over 50 funding rounds linked to these technologies were completed in the first quarter of 2026. That’s a cumulative financing of around 20 billion yuan (or nearly $3 billion USD) in just three months.

But, as we’ve seen in other wind vent sectors, funding can soon run dry, and “involuted” competition destroys many of the early movers. Which is why Honor and others are sprinting to gain a dominant position while they still can.

Many of the companies in that race will not survive. And it’s a reckoning which may not be far off, as one industry expert warns:

“In the next six to twelve months, the humanoid robots will have to step out of the show room and enter the examination hall.”

“未来6到12个月，人形机器人行业该从秀场进考场了。”

So that’s what we’re exploring this week!

Favourite Five

1. 包揽 bāo lǎn

to sweep, to win all

荣耀“包揽”胜利的现象，也引发了行业的冷静思考 - Honor’s clean sweep has also prompted sober reflection within the industry. [4]

2. 颤颤巍巍 chàn chàn wēi wēi

trembling, shaky

它自己又颤颤巍巍地爬起来完成了撞线 - It staggered back up and somehow managed to cross the finish line. [3]

3. 肉眼可见 ròu yǎn kě jiàn

visible to the naked eye, clearly noticeable

肉眼可见的是，今年参赛的机器人，其运行效率与稳定性均有提升 - There has been a tangible improvement in the efficiency and stability of this year’s robots. [1]

4. 探囊取物 tàn náng qǔ wù

as easy as taking something from a bag, effortless success

在开赛前一周的路测中，荣耀机器人“收着跑”仅发挥七八成功力，就打破了人类最好半马纪录，团队内部当时就觉得，夺冠已是“探囊取物” - After the robot from Honor shattered human records while “’holding back”’ during pre-race testing, the team knew that the race was in the bag. [2]

5. 华山论剑 huà shān lùn jiàn

The Great Sword Duel at Mount Hua; the ultimate showdown

有的队伍14公里就“下线”了，但大家依然很开心。这就是一场“华山论剑” - Some teams didn’t manage to cross the 14-kilometer mark, but everyone was still in high spirits. After all, this wasn’t just a race; it was a true clash of titans in this industry. [4]

• Note: From Louis Cha’s wuxia novels The Legend of the Condor Heroes (射雕英雄传) and The Return of the Condor Heroes (神雕侠侣)

Consuming the Conversation

Useful words

6. 入局 rù jú

to enter the game, to enter a field

手机厂商的入局，正在让竞争格局变得更有意思 - The arrival of the smartphone manufacturer is shaking up the competitive landscape.

7. 噱头 xué tóu

gimmick, publicity stunt

现阶段的赛事并非单纯的营销噱头，而是必要的技术压力测试 - At this stage, the competition is not merely a marketing gimmick, but a technical stress test that is absolutely necessary. [2]

8. 路演 lù yǎn

roadshow, promotional tour

机器人百亿“路演”，能带来什么？ - What can a billion-yuan robot roadshow bring? [4]

9. 竞技 jìng jì

competition, to compete

从隔离展示到同场竞技，人形机器人正在以肉眼可见的速度，走进现实生活 - From robot show at exhibitions to active contenders in the same race, humanoids are making the leap into reality faster than ever before. [1]

10. 打磨 dǎ mó

to polish, to refine

虽然从赛场表现来看，这些能力仍在持续打磨之中 - Although judging from their performance in the race, these capabilities are still being continuously refined. [1]

11. 攻克 gōng kè

to overcome, to tackle

这些也是各大机器人厂商需要重点攻克的课题 - These are also the key challenges that major robot manufacturers are tackling. [1]

12. 闭环 bì huán

closed loop

资本更看重的，是运动能力、操作能力与商业化落地之间能否形成闭环 - What investors really care about is whether locomotion, manipulation, and commercial viability can create a self-sustaining loop. [2]

13. 卫冕 wèi miǎn

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A trend has been quietly emerging in China’s employment landscape.

There’s no official English name for it yet. So we came up with one which we’ll discuss below.

This new trend is unlike anything we’ve covered before. It’s nothing to do with the grind of the “side-hustle” (副业), or the soul-crushing feeling of the “office odour” (班味). Nor is it about the resigned self-mockery of calling yourself a “workhorse” (牛马) — one of our top phrases of 2024.

This new trend is totally different. The phrase describing it puts two unlikely words together: “to pretend” (假装) and “go to work” (上班). And since there’s no ready-made English translation for it, we invented one:

The “Mockupation” (假装上班).

This Chinese phrase began surfacing in late 2024, as videos of people documenting their mock occupations spread across Chinese social media.

And, as we’ve discussed many times in this newsletter over the years, whenever a new trend emerges in China, a new business model is never far behind to capitalise on it.

So with the rise of the “mockupation” a new kind of company has begun to appear. These are companies that like any other: large open-plan offices, rows of clean desks, printers, the low hum of a busy working day:

“There are seven or eight coworkers at their desks, each deep in their own tasks, some crunching numbers in Excel, others on sales calls, and a few buried in code.

Everyone is busy with their own work, and people chat occasionally, unlike in a quiet library.”

工位上有七八个同事正在工作，每个人都很忙碌，有人在处理excel表格，有人在打电话沟通业务，还有人在敲代码，大家在忙自己的工作，有时候互相会说说话，不像自习室一样特别安静。

But there’s one big difference.

The people sitting at those desks are not employees. They are customers, paying to be there.

“The pinnacle of professionalism might just be the ability to stay on duty when you have lost your job.

And that commitment has given birth to a new type of company popping up all across the country: Mockupation companies.”

上班的最高境界是什么？或许是：现实已无班可上，内心却始终”在岗”。最近全国各地冒出来了一批新的公司：假装上班公司。

Related

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“Mockupation companies” (假装上班公司) have been springing up in cities across China, from Beijing to Shenzhen.

These businesses are mostly repurposed idle office space turned into a new source of revenue by the owners, such as empty desks in showrooms, or spare floors in commercial buildings.

A small desk in a mockupation company is rented out for as little as 100 yuan a month, and a larger one costs around 150 yuan. If you want to work overtime, there’s an additional charge of 10 yuan per hour.

It’s not just office space they provide. Mockupation companies offer “boss patrol” (老板定期巡视) services, with “managers” wandering the floor, so mock employees can experience the feeling of looking busy while doing nothing. And others offer “simulated interview services” (假装面试), which is a performative interview before the “applicant” can “join” the company.

The people who use these spaces fall into several categories.

Many are recent graduates struggling to find work. Others are burned-out veterans from China’s big tech companies using the space as a soft landing after being “optimised” out of a job.

Then there are those who are there purely to keep up appearances with family and friends, trying to avoid the social stigma attached to long-term unemployment.

They’re also popular with entrepreneurs and small business owners who are managing online shops, or building software, who simply need a place to work and make new contacts.

For these people, mockupation companies offer structure, routine, and a psychological anchor of people “coming together to support each other” (抱团取暖).

Which, in the current job market in China, is a much needed relief from the otherwise grim outlook:

“These spaces serve as a layover on one’s journey.

Whether they are graduates looking for their first job or professionals navigating the void of a layoff…

These individuals take a short break here to catch their breath before heading towards the next destination.”

假装上班公司就像人生旅途中的一个中转站。每个来到这里的人都处在生活的某个过渡期——无论是从校园到职场，从失业到就业，还是从一种生活状态转向另一种。他们在这里稍作停留，调整状态，为的是更好地奔赴下一个目的地。

So, will this trend last?

That’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 空窗期 kōng chuāng qī

gap period, career break

失业或职业空窗期，不会被视为正常的人生调整，只会被老一辈简单等同于个人的失败与挫折 - For the older generation, temporary unemployment or a career gap is not seen as a chance to recalibrate, but as personal failure and setbacks. [2]

• Related:

  • 过渡期 guò dù qī – transition period

  • 缓冲带 huǎn chōng dài – buffer zone

  • 低谷期 dī gǔ qī – rock bottom

2. 形形色色 xíng xíng sè sè

all kinds of, a wide variety of

来的人形形色色，上到五六十岁，下到刚成年 - The people who came were of all ages, ranging from those in their fifties or sixties to those who had just reached adulthood. [1]

3. 虚度光阴 xū dù guāng yīn

waste time, idle away time

只要你仔细观察这些“假装上班族”，就会发现他们都没有在虚度光阴 - If you take a closer look at those who engage in “mockupation”, you’ll find that none of them are wasting their time. [2]

4. 假装上班 jiǎ zhuāng shàng bān

pretend to go to work, mockupation

上班的最高境界是什么？或许是：现实已无班可上，内心却始终“在岗”。最近全国各地冒出来了一批新的公司：假装上班公司 - The pinnacle of professionalism might just be the ability to stay on duty when you have lost your job. Their commitment has given birth to a new type of company that is popping up all across the country: Mockupation startups. [2]

5. 抱团取暖 bào tuán qǔ nuǎn

huddle together for warmth, support each other

他们通过“抱团取暖”重建社会连接，用“自嘲”化解身份转变的阵痛，以微小的经济代价换取一个物理上的“喘息空间” - The unemployed find a collective refuge in “mockupation offices”, where they utilize self-deprecating wit to mask the trauma of their displaced status while paying a small premium for a temporary sanctuary from the pressures of reality. [3]

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Consuming the Conversation

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Useful words

6. 副业 fù yè

side job, side hustle

搞副业是祝潇颖眼中体现个人直接能力的方法 - In Zhu Xiaoying’s view, having a side job is the way to demonstrate the direct impact one can create. [3]

• Related:

  • 待业 dài yè – unemployed, between jobs

7. 裸辞 luǒ cí

quit without a backup plan, resign before receiving another offer

时间长了，人际交往的压力也越来越大，于是干脆裸辞，靠自媒体带货谋生 - Eventually, the social toll of the corporate life just became too much. So she decided to simply quit her job and pivot to selling products on social media. [1]

8. 瞎忙 xiā máng

be busy for nothing, busy without direction

每天排得满满当当，但是瞎忙，没有主心骨 - Every day is fully packed, but I was just going through the motions and didn’t have a sense of where I was going. [1]

9. 沉淀 chén diàn

accumulate, settle and reflect

一开始大家都是觉得自己不赚钱，想着接下来多沉淀 - At the beginning, everyone felt they weren’t making money, so they believed that they should take time to upskill and hone their craft. [1]

• Related:

  • 沉下心 chén xià xīn – calm down, focus oneself

10. 惬意 qiè yì

comfortable, at ease

那这段“上班”时光就更多了几分温暖，自然也更惬意 - This period of “working” thus felt a bit warmer and naturally more comfortable. [2]

11. 摸鱼 mō yú

slack off, goof off at work

然后是“闲聊、摸鱼”，最后一项是“职业规划” - Then comes “chatting and slacking off”, and the last item is “career planning”. [3]

12. 倒贴 dào tiē

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One of China’s most famous livestream hosts, Dong Yuhui (董宇辉), is facing a consumer backlash.

It began in early April, when a CCTV reporter exposed a health supplement sold by Dong called “Youthit” (优思益) which claimed to be an Australian brand. Priced at 293–434 yuan per bottle, it was marketed as a premium eye supplement made by Australian company, Yarra Vibe.

But the reporter discovered a very different reality: the products were made in China, owned by a Chinese shell company registered at an Australian address, which turned out to be a car repair warehouse in the outskirts of Melbourne.

And its brand story, including international awards, and expert endorsements, were all concocted by a marketing company based in Hangzhou.

This kind of fake foreign brand is common in China. It’s know as a “Western vest” (洋马甲) in Chinese slang, where a domestic product is dressed up with a foreign identity to command a premium price.

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Soon after the story broke, Youthit delisted all products across every platform and suspended all sales activity, and multiple government departments launched investigations into its operations. The outcome is still pending.

Dong Yuhui’s channel, Time with Hui (与辉同行) was the single largest sales platform for Youthit, accounting for an estimated 40% of total sales, and between 10–25 million yuan ($1.4-3.4 million USD) in revenue.

When the story broke, other influencers who had promoted the product quickly issued apologies and offered full refunds — known as “triple damages” (退一赔三) under Chinese consumer law. Which means for every purchase of a fake, customers get three times the price paid as compensation from the seller.

But Dong Yuhui’s team was notably slow to respond, issuing three statements which didn’t address the problem:

“On day one, they said they were ‘looking into it’.

On day two, they said they were ‘closely monitoring it’.

And only on day three did they reluctantly issue a statement offering ‘out-of-pocket refund’ to consumers.”

第一天在”关注”，第二天在”重点关注”，直到第三天才不情愿地发声明说”垫付退款”。 [2]

These lukewarm responses caused even more consternation online.

Because “looking into it” (关注) and “closely monitoring it” (重点关注) are classic Chinese corporate non-responses. And the word “out-of-pocket” (垫付) frames the refund as a favour to the consumer rather than an admission of liability. The repayment offered also fell well short of the standard “triple damages” paid Dong’s competitors.

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Doing Yuhui is a familiar name to long-time readers of this newsletter.

He became the face of East Buy (东方甄选), a live-streaming channel born out of the ashes of embattled education business, New Oriental (新东方) in 2022, whose private tutoring business was decimated by China’s Double Reduction policy (双减政策) the year before.

In December 2023, Dong became the CEO of East Buy. Then in July, 2024, Dong quit the platform to build his own channel, Time with Hui (与辉同行). And since then he’s become one of the top earners in the industry. Last year alone Time with Hui recorded over 21 billion yuan in sales (USD 2.9 billion).

But in recent months, Dong has been been hit by a series of fake product controversies, Youthit being the third this year.

In January 2026, his channel sold “Dabie Mountain Butter Hen” (大别山黄油母鸡) for 84 yuan for a pack of three. An industry association challenged its authenticity because the numbers didn’t add up — that breed of chicken costs over 150 yuan per hen raise. The product was quietly delisted from Dong’s channel.

Then in March 2026, the annual CCTV 315 Consumer Rights Broadcast (央视3·15晚会) exposed a brand of bleached chicken feet (漂白鸡爪) for being produced in unsanitary conditions. The product was also sold through Dong’s channel, but his team deflected the issue saying that the products he had sold came from a different production line.

Each time, Dong Yuhui used carefully worded language to distance himself from the problem product, and any liability.

But his fans are getting fed up, as this comment on social media suggests:

“This isn’t a mistake. He is treating consumers like idiots.”

这不是失误，这是把消费者的智商摁在地上摩擦。 [2]

• The phrase, “rubbing into the dirt” (摁在地上摩擦) is vivid Chinese internet slang meaning to utterly humiliate or disrespect someone, which captures how many of Dong’s fans are starting to feel.

The “fake Western vest” (洋马甲) foreign brand playbook is nothing new in China.

But this is a new problem for Dong who has built his reputation as a “cultural figure” (文化人), and educator. He’s even known affectionately by fans as “Teacher Dong” (董老师) — a reference to his earlier career as an English teacher at New Oriental before he became a superstar seller. His viewers and fans trust him, and they are willing to pay a premium for the products he promotes because of it.

But that deep trust is being eroded with these recent controversies. And there’s a new idiomatic phrase to explain why:

Recently, the catchphrase “Dong Yuhui keeps getting away with it” has gone viral.

A play on the old adage “the law does not punish the masses”, the four-character phrase highlights the seemingly untouchable status of Dong Yuhui and his team amidst a string of recent live-streaming controversies.

最近，”法不责辉”成了网络流行语。这四个字借用了老话”法不责众”的壳，指向了主播董宇辉及其团队在多起带货争议中的处境。

Trust is Dong’s single most valuable commercial asset. Unlike other live-streamers who sell on price or entertainment, Dong’s entire operation runs on this credibility.

And now that credibility is beginning to crack, rebuilding it will be far harder that it was to create.

So that’s what we’re discussing this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 情怀 qíng huái

sentiment, emotional attachment

他的流量和口碑，大多建立在“情怀”和“信任”之上 - His massive following and reputation are largely built on emotional resonance and trust. [3]

2. 洋马甲 yáng mǎ jiǎ

fake foreign branding, domestic product labelled as imported

成本30块，国内代工，全靠洋马甲忽悠人 - The product is a thirty-yuan domestic white-label disguised with a foreign-sounding name. [2]

• Related:

  • 洋牌 yáng pái – foreign brand label

  • 假洋货 jiǎ yáng huò – fake foreign brand

3. 摇身一变 yáo shēn yí biàn

to transform instantly, to turn into overnight

于是国产货，就摇身一变成为了高大上的洋货了 - Domestic products are then instantly transformed into high-end foreign goods. [4]

4. 法不责辉 fǎ bù zé huī

Dong Yuhui keeps getting away with it; selective accountability

最近，“法不责辉”成了网络流行语。这四个字借用了老话“法不责众”的壳，指向了主播董宇辉及其团队在多起带货争议中的处境 - Recently, the catchphrase “Dong Yuhui keeps getting away with it” has gone viral. A play on the old adage “the law does not punish the masses,” the four-character phrase highlights the seemingly untouchable status of influencer Dong Yuhui and his team amidst a string of recent livestreaming controversies. [1]

• Note: wordplay on “The law does not punish the masses” (法不责众)

• Related:

  • 法外之地 fǎ wài zhī dì – the Wild West, legal vacuum

5. 人红是非多 rén hóng shì fēi duō

the more famous you are, the more trouble you attract

人红是非多，顶流主播也逃不过舆论审判 - As the saying goes, fame always invites trouble: even the top live-streamer cannot escape public scrutiny. [3]

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Useful words

6. 恶意 è yì

malicious intent, bad faith

违法事实清楚，责任主体明确，主观恶意明显 - There is a clear violation, a defined liable party, and unmistakable willful misconduct. [1]

7. 欺诈 qī zhà

fraud, deception

两位被官方定性为虚假宣传或消费欺诈 - The two were accused by the authorities to be engaging in false advertising or consumer fraud. [1]

8. 翻车 fān chē

to mess up, to fail badly

董宇辉又翻车了 - Dong Yuhui messed it up again. [2]

• Related:

  • 出事 chū shì – something went wrong, an incident occurred

9. 神坛 shén tán

altar, place of reverence

董宇辉，是时候被拉下神坛了 - It’s time for Dong Yuhui to be pulled down from the altar (meaning: to be held accountable). [2]

10. 贪婪 tān lán

greedy, greed

不能用情怀来掩盖贪婪和虚伪，欺骗你的粉丝和用户 - You can’t use emotional appeal to sanitise greed and hypocrisy as you deceive your fans and users. [2]

11. 乱象 luàn xiàng

chaotic situation, disorderly phenomenon

希望他能守住行业的底线，成为乱象中的一束光 - Hopefully he can hold the line and become a ray of light amid industry-wide misconducts. [3]

12. 镀金 dù jīn

to gild, to embellish credentials

注册个品牌，最好再找个共享办公位，就算完成身份镀金了 - All it takes is a registered brand name and a desk at a co-working space to give yourself a veneer of legitimacy. [4]

13. 疙瘩 gē da

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On March 24, education influencer Zhang Xuefeng (张雪峰) died suddenly in Suzhou from cardiac arrest. He was only 41 years old.

On the morning of the day he died, he’d already broadcast a livestream and completed a run. His March running total had already passed 70km, according to his WeChat Moments.

For readers of this newsletter, Zhang Xuefeng is a familiar name. He is one of China’s most recognisable internet celebrities, and has made a name for himself as a “gaokao college application planning advisor” (高考志愿规划师).

On Weibo, one post captured what many were feeling about his sudden death:

“A life of such theatrical flair ended by a sudden and brutal blow.

Whatever you thought of him, you cannot help but shudder at this grim fate.”

“富有戏剧色彩的人生，最终以决然而突兀的一击结束。无论对这个人观感如何，都不能不为命运之严酷森冷而战栗。”

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Zhang came from modest beginnings.

He grew up in a small town in Heilongjiang Province, called Fuyu County (富裕县). Fuyu in Chinese means rich, but ironically this town was very poor. At his family’s most strapped, their combined monthly income was just 600 yuan when Zhang was growing up.

After finding fame and wealth, Zhang often joked of just how poor his childhood was:

“Some struggle to put food on the table…

But back then my family didn’t even have a table to put food on!”

有人穷得叮当响，那时我是穷到响都没有！

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Zhang attended Zhengzhou University, which is not one of China’s most prestigious but an achievement for Zhang to get into given where he came from. He studied water supply and drainage engineering (给排水工程). Which was completely irrelevant to the rest of his career. After graduating, he began his career in postgraduate entrance exam tutoring.

He got his first taste of online fame in 2016, when he produced the video “Understanding China’s 34 Top Universities in Seven Minutes” (七分钟解读34所985高校).

It went viral, garnering millions of views. Speaking in his distinctive northeastern accent, Zhang took the boring and confusing topic of university profiles and broke it down into a string of jokes and one-liners with the timing and delivery of a stand-up comic.

That formula of straight-talking, simple, entertaining, and helpful transformed him from an ordinary exam tutor into an internet celebrity.

In the years that followed, Zhang capitalised on that fame and built a successful education business. Many criticised him for “making money off people’s anxieties” (靠焦虑来赚钱). But for millions of parents he offered a lifeline to navigate the pressures of academic results, university choices, and graduate employment.

He encouraged students to opt for employability, high pay, and job security over personal interest, passion, or ideals. Niche subjects, according to Zhang, had narrow career prospects, low wages, and were “dead-end” fields to be avoided.

So Zhang was no stranger to controversy.

In 2024, he caused an uproar when he discouraged students from majoring in humanities, saying:

“If my child insists on studying journalism, I’ll knock them out cold.”

“孩子非要报新闻学，我一定把他打晕”

…

“Every humanities degree will lead to a job in the service industry. At the end of the day, what you do is just sucking up to people. “

“所有文科都是服务业，总结为一个舔字”

He famously dismissed biology, chemistry, environmental science, and materials science as “pitfall majors” (天坑专业). And he even discouraged youngsters from becoming diplomats.

But behind the provocative online persona was a man who couldn’t stop. Back in June 2023, Zhang was admitted to hospital with symptoms of extreme exhaustion, chest tightness, and heart palpitations.

He led an intense life of overwork, poor diet, and lack of sleep, while also being a keen runner, putting his body under immense and sustained stress.

He often shared on social media how tired he felt, like this post in April 2021:

“Am I tired? Of course. Can I take a break? Of course not. Am I afraid of overworking to death?

No. Why do I push myself like this? Because go big or go home. I owe it to everyone who put their faith in me.”

“累么？累！不能休息么？不能！你就不怕猝死么？不怕！为什么要这样？做事情，要么就不做，要做，就做好！对得起每一个信任你的人！”

Despite the controversies of Zhang and what’s he’s said over the years, the outpouring on social media following his death was overwhelming, and mostly positive.

According to the excellent and timely Bumingbai (不明白播客), Zhang’s death generated over 1 billion posts on Weibo, over 5 billion on Douyin, and over 80,000 articles on WeChat. And on the day of his funeral in Suzhou, tens of thousands of people reportedly turned up to pay their respects in person — images of which were quickly censored online.

So for all the people Zhang upset, there were many more who were grateful for his honesty, directness, and help in navigating China’s competitive and unforgiving education system.

And that’s what we’re discussing this week.

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Favourite Five

1. 透支 tòu zhī

overdraw, overextend

他无限透支自己的身体，却偏偏不敢停 - He was burning the candle at both ends, yet he didn’t dare to take a break. [1]

• Related:
  疲惫 pí bèi – tired, exhausted

2. 玩命 wán mìng

risk one’s life, go all out recklessly

长期这么干，等于玩命 - Doing this long-term is basically committing slow suicide.

• Related:
  拼命 pīn mìng – to give it your all, desperately

3. 戛然而止 jiá rán ér zhǐ

an abrupt end, stop suddenly

也有人被这种“戛然而止”击中——”原来人不是到老了才会死，人是随时都会死的” - Others were struck by how his life was brought to an abrupt end — “So it turns out people don’t only die when they’re old. People can die at any moment.” [1]

• Related:

  • 戛然收场 jiá rán shōu chǎng – come to an abrupt end

4. 救命稻草 jiù mìng dào cǎo

lifesaving straw, last resort

从被学生看不起的愣头青老师，变成数百万家长的救命稻草 - He went from an inexperienced teacher looked down on by his own students to the last hope for millions of parents. [3]

5. 语不惊人死不休 yǔ bù jīng rén sǐ bù xiū

won’t stop until something shocking is said, always says something striking

张雪峰有时语不惊人死不休，例如，“孩子非要报新闻学，我一定把他打晕” - Zhang Xuefeng would sometimes pick the most outrageous thing to say. Take his stance on journalism: “If my child insists on majoring in journalism, I would knock him out.” [2]

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Useful words

6. 猝然 cù rán

suddenly, abruptly

谁也不曾想到，这个始终以精力充沛的形象出现在镜头前、直播间里的人，会以这样猝然的方式告别 - No one could have imagined that a man who always appeared so full of life on camera and in his livestreams would bid the world such a sudden and final farewell. [2]

• Related:

  • 猝死 cù sǐ – sudden death

7. 消耗 xiāo hào

to consume, to drain

高强度的工作与运动叠加，对他的身体造成了巨大的消耗 - The compounded stress of a demanding job and intense workouts took a massive toll on his body. [1]

• Related:
  耗尽 hào jìn – to exhaust, to use up completely

8. 拧巴 nǐng ba

conflicted, internally torn

他那种想停下却不敢停下的拧巴，却让人感到具体而熟悉 - His inner struggle of being stuck between burnout and the fear of letting go feels strikingly real and all too common. [1]

9. 功利 gōng lì

utilitarian, driven by self-interest

有人说他功利短视，把教育讲成了“找工作指南” - Some criticised him for being short-sighted and overly utilitarian, as he reduced education to a tool for job-hunting. [1]

• Related:
  功利化 gōng lì huà – to approach sth in a utilitarian way

10. 苛刻 kē kè

harsh, strict

相较之下，张雪峰对自己却很苛刻 - In comparison, Zhang Xuefeng is very strict with himself. [1]

11. 讣告 fù gào

obituary, death notice

直到晚上，头像灰了，讣告来了 - When the evening arrived, his profile picture turned grey with the posting of the obituary. [3]

12. 厄运 è yùn

misfortune, bad luck

所以这一次，厄运还是出手了 - So this time, the stroke of fate hit him. [3]

13. 胡诌 hú zhōu

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On March 17, rumours began circulating in Chinese tech industry group chats that iFlytek (科大讯飞), a leading AI and speech recognition company, was planning large-scale layoffs of software engineers.

As speculation spread, iFlytek’s Vice President, Han Yucheng (韩煜尘) denied it as “fake news.”

The following day, similar rumours swirled about NetEase (网易), one of China’s largest internet and gaming companies, which was also allegedly planning a large-scale “clear-out of all contract staff” (全面清退外包).

NetEase Games has a total workforce of around 20,000. The majority of those are game developers, of which 10-15% are outsourced. According to these latest rumours, the “clear out” would be done by removing 30% of outsourced contractors by April, and the rest of them would be removed by May.

Following the playbook of iFlytek, NetEase released a statement saying the rumours were false, and that any recent personnel changes were normal “replacements” (汰换) through routine staff rotation in the business.

But rather than use the neutral word for “replace” (which is 替换 in Chinese), NetEase used a more loaded term, which suggests the rumours might well be true.

The expression used in the statement was “remove and replace” (汰换), which combines the word for “eliminate” (淘汰) and “replace” (替换). In corporate speak this means getting rid of underperforming staff and replacing them — either with higher quality talent, or AI.

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The rumours emanating from NetEase and iFlytek have hit a nerve with many employees precisely because of the impact that AI is now having on China’s tech sector.

One employee tech sector employee quoted in the media captures this sentiment:

“Two years ago, it was ‘AI is here — how exciting’.

This year, it’s ‘AI is here — how terrifying’.

It’s not some distant, abstract terror, but the kind of immediate terror where people around you are actually getting laid off.”

前两年是”AI来了，好激动”，今年变成了”AI来了，好焦虑”。不是那种遥远的、跟我不相干的焦虑，是那种——身边真有人被裁了的焦虑。

The writer also drew a parallel between tech employees today and the Luddites — textile workers in early 19th century Britain who faced being replaced by machines that were faster, cheaper, and never needed to sleep.

Their resistance against change at that time was futile, just like those anxious tech employees in China today — which in Chinese can be expressed with a beautifully visual idiom:

“Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot”

螳臂当车

The concern among tech and gaming workers is real. And the consensus is that this round of personnel “optimisations” (优化) is linked to the accelerated adoption of AI.

“It’s an industry-wide consensus that the use of AI has become pretty much ubiquitous across game publishing.”

几乎所有公司在发行这块对AI的使用都比较泛滥，这早就是行业内的共识。

Employees believe major tech companies are actively "replacing humans with AI" (AI替代人类), not just encouraging its use as a support tool. These ongoing fears are why rumours of large-scale layoffs have caused such a strong reaction.

Because for many workers, the question is no longer whether AI will change their industry, but whether there will be a place for them in it at all. Just like the mantis raising its arms against the chariot, they feel powerless in the face of an unstoppable force.

So that’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 清退 qīng tuì

dismiss, lay off

网易旗下多个部门都或多或少地开始了外包清退工作 - Many departments in NetEase have started to lay off contractors. [1]

2. 汰换 tài huàn

replace, upgrade

近期发生的人员变动仅为部分项目的正常业务调整与人员汰换 - The recent personnel changes reflect normal operational realignments and routine talent optimization within specific projects. [1]

3. 螳臂当车 táng bì dāng chē

a mantis trying to stop a chariot, overestimate one’s ability

历史书把他们写成笑话：一群害怕进步的落后分子，螳臂当车 - History books wrote them off as a joke: a bunch of Luddites clinging to the past, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. [2]

4. 不寒而栗 bù hán ér lì

shudder with fear, tremble involuntarily

如果我们不采取行动，未来的场景可能令人不寒而栗 - If we don’t take action, what might happen in the future could make us shudder with fear. [2]

5. 两极分化 liǎng jí fēn huà

polarisation, extreme divide

这就导致了一个两极分化的局面 - This has created two vastly different results. [3]

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Useful words

6. 忐忑 tǎn tè

uneasy, anxious

他们因此“很忐忑，怕拿不到赔偿” - There was great uncertainty and they were afraid that they wouldn’t receive their severance package. [1]

7. 征兆 zhēng zhào

sign, indication

阿乐告诉触乐，清退外包并非毫无征兆 - Ale told Chuapp that the layoff of contractors didn’t come exactly as a surprise. [1]

8. 风声 fēng shēng

rumour, news

清退外包并非毫无征兆，早在去年就有了些风声 - The layoff of contractors didn’t come out of the blue, as there were already signs of it a year ago. [1]

9. 端倪 duān ní

clue, trace

公布了（对AI介入工作流的具体要求后）才察觉之前就有端倪 - Only after they announced the AI requirements did we start connecting the dots about those earlier signs. [1]

10. 焦虑 jiāo lǜ

anxious, worried

今年变成了“AI来了，好焦虑” - This year, it’s “AI is here — how terrifying”. [2]

• Related:

  • 绝望 jué wàng – despair

11. 阵痛 zhèn tòng

growing pains, temporary pain

它巧妙地映射了当下整个科技行业正在发生的真实阵痛 - It encapsulates the growing pains that are clearly felt by the entire tech industry. [3]

12. 优化 yōu huà

optimize, streamline

很多人还没反应过来，就发现自己的工作已经被“优化”了 - Before most people realised what had happen, they found that their roles had been “optimised away”. [2]

Three-character phrases

13. 斩杀线 zhǎn shā xiàn

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The Communication University of China (中国传媒大学), which is one of the country’s top universities in creative industries and arts, is discontinuing 16 of its undergraduate degrees.

The news broke on March 6 when the party secretary of the Beijing-based university, Liao Xiangzhong (廖祥忠), said he was axing traditional subjects like translation, photography, visual communication design, arts management, and even the nationally ranked comics programme.

Liao, who was attending the Two Sessions (两会), told media the era of “human-machine collaboration” (人机分工) has arrived, and that higher education must be “completely restructured” (全面优化) to adapt and remain relevant.

The sweeping cuts sparked widespread debate on social media, with comments like:

“Has AI made these degrees obsolete?”

“这些专业要被AI淘汰了吗？”

Liao also took to social media to calm nerves, posting:

"There's no need to panic"

不必惊慌

To which many students responded:

“But what are we going to do?”

“我们怎么办？”

On the evening of March 9, an open letter signed by some students of the university began circulating on social media.

One passage was shared widely:

“When we saw the news, we were completely stunned. We applied to the Communication University because of these programmes.

Now they’re being cut just like that. Will our diplomas still be recognised? What will happen to our remaining classes?

And when we apply for jobs after graduation, will potential employers think we have also been eliminated in this game since our majors have been scrapped?”

看到新闻的那一刻，整个人都是懵的。我们当初考上中传，是冲着这些专业来的。现在说砍就砍，我们的学位还有效吗？接下来的课怎么上？毕业找工作，用人单位看到我们专业没了，会不会觉得我们是“被淘汰的人”？

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The recent axing of subjects at Communication University is not an isolated case.

In January this year, Jilin University updated its undergraduate programmes, with 19 of its 141 degrees no longer accepting new students. Including subjects in the arts like broadcast television directing, music performance, product design, environmental design, and visual communication design.

And last year, two of China’s top universities in Shanghai saw similar cuts to arts degrees. East China Normal University stopped enrolling students in painting, sculpture, and arts education, while Tongji University cut a number of design programs.

Many young people in China believe AI is already well on the way to replacing humans in these creative fields.

While other voices in the debate say that the knowledge and skills in disciplines like foreign languages, photography, and translation, are still needed and cannot be replaced by AI, as one article suggests:

“What translation conveys is not just the literal meaning of language, but also the cultural depth.

What photography captures is not just images, but the dialogue between people and nature, the meeting of souls.

What AI replaces is low-value, formulaic production. Not the entire industry.”

“翻译传递的不仅是语言的本意，更是文化底蕴的传递；摄影拍的不仅是图片，更是人与自然的对话、人与人的心灵交融。AI替代的是低效的、照本宣科式的创作，而不是这一整个行业。”

As the story continued to gain widespread attention online, Communication University weighed in, saying it’s not just cancelling these 16 subjects; it’s adapting what it teaches to fit changes in technology and the world of work, and the axed subjects will be merged into other degrees.

Photography is being merged into film photography and production. Visual communication design is being folded into advertising. And new degrees in intelligent image arts, intelligent audio-visual engineering, and intelligent engineering and creative design are replacing the scrapped comics programme.

But that’s little consolation for the students currently in those degrees, or those who are considering pursuing these professions as careers.

A widely shared article captured the mood, invoking a well-known slang term for degrees with no future:

It’s foreseeable that in the next round of university curriculum reforms, majors that are overly technical or too narrow in scope risk becoming the new “pitfall majors”.

可以想见，在新一轮的高校专业改革中，那些过于工具化，过于单一的专业，恐怕就会成为新的“天坑专业。”

So that’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 绝学 jué xué

rare or lost skill, rare expertise

很不幸，我的专业成了绝学 - Unfortunately, my major has essentially become a lost art following the recent cuts. [1]

• Note: used sarcastically here.

2. 一口气 yì kǒu qì

in one go, all at once

中国传媒大学一口气撤销翻译、摄影、漫画等16个本科专业和方向 - The Communication University of China abolished 16 undergraduate majors and disciplines, including translation, photography, and comics, all in one go. [1]

3. 天坑专业 tiān kēng zhuān yè

pitfall major; a major with poor career prospects

那些过于工具化，过于单一的专业，恐怕就会成为新的“天坑专业” - Majors that are overly technical or too narrow in scope risk becoming the new “pitfall majors”. [3]

4. 大刀阔斧 dà dāo kuò fǔ

bold and decisive, sweeping

如此大刀阔斧的专业调整，瞬间引发舆论热议 - Such sweeping curriculum reform instantly sparked public debate. [3]

5. 一去不复返 yí qù bú fù fǎn

gone forever, never to return

学习某个专业就能轻松找到工作、高枕无忧的时代已经一去不复返 - The era where a certain major guaranteed easy job search and peace of mind is gone forever. [3]

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Useful words

6. 优化 yōu huà

optimise, improvement

这并非简单取消专业，而是实施系统性专业优化 - We’re not simply removing certain majors. Rather, this is a strategic redesign of our academic offerings. [1]

7. 焦虑 jiāo lǜ

anxiety, worried

同样的焦虑，正在更多考生和家长中蔓延 - The same anxiety is spreading among more and more students and parents. [1]

8. 动摇 dòng yáo

waver, shake

当AI开始批量生产作品，这条路的“确定性”开始动摇了 - Now that AI can churn out work in bulk, this career path doesn’t feel like a safe bet anymore. [1]

9. 风向 fēng xiàng

trend, direction

“风向”是怎么变的 - How has the trend changed? [1]

10. 撤销 chè xiāo

abolish, revoke

专业被撤销，会不会被理解为“这个专业不行了”？ - If a major is scrapped, will people simply assume that this field has become obsolete? [2]

11. 过时 guò shí

outdated, obsolete

这不是16个专业的事，是上千个年轻人突然发现自己学的东西，被时代宣布“过时”的事 - It’s not just about those 16 majors; it’s about thousands of young people suddenly realizing that what they’ve been studying has been declared obsolete. [2]

12. 淘汰 táo tài

eliminate, be phased out

用人单位看到我们专业没了，会不会觉得我们是‘被淘汰的人’？ - When employers see that our majors are scrapped, will they think we have also been eliminated in this game? [2]

13. 惊慌 jīng huāng

panic, alarmed

廖祥忠通过媒体回应了四个字：不必惊慌 - In an interview with the media, Liao Xiangzhong responded with four words: no need to panic. [2]

14. 清场 qīng chǎng

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If you’re scrolling Chinese social media right now, you’ll come across this phrase:

“Raise the lobster” (养龙虾)

But it has nothing to do with actual lobsters.

“Raise the lobster” is a newly coined expression which means training your OpenClaw AI assistant.

OpenClaw is an open source AI agent which helps users build teams of AI assistants to handle real-world tasks like sending emails, managing calendars, and running social media accounts.

It’s described as “The AI that actually does things”.

The phrase “raising the lobster” is a nod to the cartoon red lobster in the OpenClaw logo. The idea of “raising” implies how users need to feed their AI agents with tokens, train it with new skills, and monitor and improve performance. The AI requires ongoing attention like a pet which needs “feeding” (喂饲料) and “training” (调教), which are both essential phrases in the process of “raising the lobster”.

Developed by Austrian programmer, Peter Steinberger, OpenClaw launched in late 2025. On its first day alone it gained 9,000 stars on the coding platform GitHub, which is a measure of popularity on the platform where developers bookmark projects they rate.

Within a week it had surpassed 100,000 stars, setting a new record. It has since passed 248,000 becoming the most-starred open-source project on the platform.

By January 2026, it had caught on in China.

Tencent Cloud and Alibaba Cloud launched “one-click setup” (一键部署) services, to help non-tech-savvy users install the AI. And ByteDance and Alibaba’s Qwen followed.

Tencent even offered the service for free.

On March 6th, nearly 1,000 developers and AI enthusiasts gathered outside Tencent’s headquarters in Shenzhen for a free installation event. The crowd was a mixed bunch: from retirees and parents with toddlers to elementary school students.

Some had flown in the night before. While others were squeezing it into a lunch break, racing to get their “lobster” installed.

One Tencent employee described the scene:

“Hundreds of developers queued up early with their laptops in a long, three-column line that wound its way through the plaza occupying almost the entire corner.”

数百名开发者早早就带着笔记本电脑在广场上排起了长龙，队伍蜿蜒排成了三列，几乎占据了整个广场的一角。

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Short videos of people “raising the lobster” have since flooded Douyin and other social media feeds as the craze jumped from the tech world into the mainstream:

“From coders to regular users, the whole country is obsessed with ‘raising the lobster’.

The OpenClaw craze is absolutely everywhere on Douyin right now.”

抖音上，”全民养龙虾”的短视频刷屏，从程序员到普通用户，几乎全社会都参与其中。

Among the trending topics, there are people making quick money using OpenClaw sharing their experiences under the tag “Smart people are already cashing in on OpenClaw” (聪明的人已经用OpenClaw开始赚钱了). They are using their lobster to design products, to write marketing emails, and even to trade stocks and shares.

Other early adopters are making money by helping others to raise their lobster.

OpenClaw installation services are now available on e-commerce and social media platforms for between 200 and 800 yuan. “Comprehensive, step-by-step guides” (保姆级教程) are going viral on Bilibili with hundreds of thousands of views. Meanwhile, RedNote is flooded with “OpenClaw local setup tutorials for dummies in ten minutes” (零基础十分钟搞定OpenClaw本地部署). And on Goofish (咸鱼), China’s eBay equivalent, coaches are offering home installation services for 499 yuan a time.

But as the craze has gained momentum, there are also major concerns that come with it.

China's cybersecurity authorities have already issued multiple warnings about OpenClaw, with government agencies and state-owned enterprises banned from running it on corporate devices. And there are stories swirling in the media about how lobsters are completing tasks without permission — like a Meta employee who reported that OpenClaw deleted hundreds of her personal emails despite being instructed to wait for approval.

With these concerns have come yet more money making opportunities: now as well as installation services, there are also “OpenClaw uninstallation services” (龙虾卸载服务) available for up to 299 yuan.

As a result, online users have coined another phrase:

“One lobster, three ways” (龙虾三吃)

It’s a pun on a popular dish name, and in this context describes how people are making money in three ways with OpenClaw: to install the AI, to train people how to use it, and then to uninstall it when things go wrong.

These fast-moving money makers are also described as “shovel sellers” (卖铲人) in Chinese, a phrase drawn from the English idiom “selling shovels in a gold rush” — the idea that the real money is made supplying the tools, not panning for gold.

So will this craze take off, and could “raising the lobster” become one of our favourite phrases of 2026?

Or, will be yet another fleeting viral moment on the Chinese internet?

That’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 极客 jí kè

geek, tech enthusiast

大模型还是少数科技极客和科研机构的专属领地 - LLMs are still something that only a small number of geeks and researchers are interested in. [1]

2. 养龙虾 yǎng lóng xiā

to raise the lobster, set up, run and train OpenClaw

抖音上，”全民养龙虾”的短视频刷屏，从程序员到普通用户，几乎全社会都参与其中 - From coders to regular users, the whole country is obsessed with “raising the lobster”. The OpenClaw craze is absolutely everywhere on Douyin right now.

• Related:

  • 饲料 sì liào – feed; metaphor for tokens in this context

  • 养虾人 yǎng xiā rén – lobster farmer

  • 龙虾热 lóng xiā rè – lobster craze

3. 智能体 zhì néng tǐ

intelligent agent, AI agent

OpenClaw是一款开源AI智能体 - OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent. [1]

4. 盲目跟风 máng mù gēn fēng

to blindly follow trends, follow the crowd blindly

一些不懂技术的人盲目跟风，很多落地应用场景还是很稚嫩 - A lot of non-techies are just blindly jumping on the bandwagon, and many of the actual use cases are still pretty half-baked. [1]

5. 深不可测 shēn bù kě cè

unfathomable, impossible to gauge

盲目卷入技术的狂奔，背后的风险可能深不可测 - Getting caught up in this tech craze carries profound risks that we are only beginning to understand. [3]

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Useful words

6. 热潮 rè cháo

surge, craze

狂欢热潮还在继续 - The wave of frenzy has no signs of subsiding. [1]

• Related:
  洪流 hóng liú – torrent, overwhelming surge

7. 迭代 dié dài

iteration, iterative update

在技术迭代的同时，我们也质疑这到底是不是一场带有巨大泡沫的实验 - While technology continues to iterate, we are also questioning whether this is an overhyped experiment. [1]

8. 部署 bù shǔ

to deploy, set up or install (in this context)

腾讯云团队也搭建了将近10张长桌作为临时部署区 - The Tencent Cloud team also set up about ten long tables as the makeshift installment zone. [1]

• Related:

  • 一键部署 yí jiàn bù shǔ – one-click setup

9. 场景 chǎng jǐng

scenario, use case

有人希望在现场专家的帮助下，立刻将OpenClaw接入飞书、企业微信等办公场景 - Some are looking for on-site expert guidance to immediately connect OpenClaw to their professional workflows, such as Lark and WeChat for Business. [1]

10. 黑客 hēi kè

hacker

一旦被黑客入侵，瞬间就会被洗劫一空 - Once it’s hacked, everything will be gone in an instant. [2]

11. 吩咐 fēn fù

to instruct, to tell someone what to do

即使你什么都没吩咐，OpenClaw也不会真的闲着 - Even if you don’t give any instructions, OpenClaw will not really stay idle. [3]

• Related:

  • 指令 zhǐ lìng – instruction, command

  • 命令 mìng lìng – command, order

  • 提示 tí shì – prompt, hint

  • 命令行 mìng lìng háng – command line

12. 小白 xiǎo bái

beginner, novice

在敲代码方面还是零基础的“小白”，却养出了这么一只聪明“虾” - Though she is a complete beginner in coding, she still managed to turn her OpenClaw into such an intelligent agent. [4]

Three-character phrases

13. 手把手 shǒu bǎ shǒu

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China’s smartphone prices are rising, with increases set to be the biggest the industry has seen in five years.

The story hit the top trending search lists on social media just after the Spring Festival holidays. Major brands like OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi (小米), and Honor (荣耀) have said prices will increase from this month, by anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 RMB for mid-to-high-end models. But proportionally, budget devices will be hit hardest — what Chinese consumers call "sub-1,000 RMB devices" (千元机).

This sudden surge in prices is being driven by the massive investment in data centres to increase AI computing power across China. The industry-grade chips needed for these facilities are more profitable than smartphone chips. So as demand from the AI sector has exploded, the supply of chips for consumer electronics, such as for smartphones, has tightened and pushed prices up.

According to some reports, the cost of smartphone memory chips has risen by more than 80% compared to the same period last year. While the cost of 1TB of phone storage has nearly tripled in the space of a year — from around 200 RMB to close to 600 RMB.

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China’s smartphone market is broadly divided into three tiers: manufacturers with supply chain advantages, Huawei, Apple, Samsung, which dominate the market. The four major domestic brands — Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and Honor — with mature product offerings and bargaining power, holding the middle ground. And small manufacturers like Meizu (魅族) with under 1% market market which are facing being squeezed out entirely this year.

Huawei is better insulated than most with its self-developed SoC chips and in-house R&D capabilities. Domestic memory chip suppliers have also historically tilted supply towards Huawei because of its sheer buying power — something we’ve seen in the auto industry with BYD.

“Right now, many phonemakers are struggling not just with rising costs, but with total supply shortages where money alone can’t guarantee inventory.

In contrast, Huawei continues to secure its supply with relative ease.”

“现在很多厂商面临的不只涨价，还有‘有钱拿不到货’的情况，但对华为来说，拿货还是比较轻松的。”

From an industry perspective, chip prices are becoming increasingly volatile which is changing behaviour across the supply chain. Distributors who once stocked inventory to drive sales are now hoarding handsets, betting on price rises to profit from the appreciation.

For consumers, this means higher prices and a touch of irony.

The latest smartphones need more memory than ever to support new AI features, such as AI assistants like Alibaba’s Qwen (千问). Yet it's the AI industry itself that's driving up chip costs and pushing new phone prices out of reach. The result is consumers are turning to slightly older flagship models instead, which is also pushing up second-hand prices.

This is having a direct impact on people’s livelihoods, as one delivery rider explains in an interview in one of the articles we read this week:

If I upgrade to a flagship model that costs around 4,000 yuan, it could help me take 3-5 more orders daily, which can give my monthly income a 800-900-yuan bump.

But I don’t have 4,000 yuan.

So I’m trapped in a vicious cycle of low efficiency and low income. I can’t afford a good phone which means I’m even more inefficient in my job. [3]

假如换一部4000元左右的“高端机”，每天可以多接3—5单，月收入增加约800—900元，但是我拿不出这4000元，只能继续用旧手机，陷入低效率—低收入—买不起好手机—更低效率的恶性循环里。[3]

So how is this going to play out for Chinese consumers?

That’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 内存 nèi cún

memory, ram

内存涨价趋势将持续至2026年下半年 - Memory prices are set to trend upwards well into the second half of 2026. [1]

2. 话语权 huà yǔ quán

have a say, bargaining power

内存厂商现在话语权极高，已经采取“虚拟定价”方式 - Memory chip manufacturers now wield extremely strong bargaining power and have already shifted to the “post-settlement pricing” model. [1]

• Related:

  • 定价权 dìng jià quán - pricing power

3. 涨价潮 zhǎng jià cháo

wave of price hikes

手机涨价的根源，是由内存的“超级周期”凶猛涨价潮导致 - The root cause of the current spike in smartphone prices is the aggressive memory supercycle and its accompanying wave of price hikes. [1]

4. 岔路口 chà lù kǒu

fork in the road, crossroads

这里出现了第一个关键的技术岔路口 - The first critical technological crossroads has emerged. [4]

5. 罪魁祸首 zuì kuí huò shǒu

chief culprit, main offender

罪魁祸首：存储芯片疯狂上涨 - The real culprit behind rising phone prices: skyrocketing memory chip costs.

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This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, we explain the many confusing and simialr ways to say “price hikes” in Chinese.

Tune in at 6 minutes where we break down what they mean and the stories behind them…

How native speakers use them…

And how you can use them in real conversations right now and show off your amazing Chinese!

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Useful Words

6. 涨幅 zhǎng fú

increase range, rate of increase

最低涨幅不会低于1000元，中高端旗舰机型涨幅可能达到2000~3000元 - The minimum increase will not be less than 1,000 yuan, and the price increase for mid- to high-end flagship models may reach 2,000 to 3,000 yuan. [1]

• Related:

  • 提价 tí jià – raise prices

  • 调价 tíao jià - adjust prices

  • 涨价 zhǎng jià – price increase

  • 普涨 pú zhǎng - broad price rises

7. 回落 huí luò

fall back, decline

内存涨价趋势将持续至2026年下半年，到2027年才有望逐步回落 - Memory prices are set to trend upwards well into the second half of 2026, and will gradually fall only from 2027 onwards. [1]

8. 国补 guó bǔ

national subsidy, government subsidy

2025年下半年发布的新款则基本只享受国补，没有其他优惠 - New models released in the second half of 2025 will only have the government subsidy, with no other discounts. [1]

9. 旗舰 qí jiàn

flagship (model)

厂商们仍可以用高端旗舰的利润来覆盖一部分中低端机型造成的毛利下滑 - Manufacturers can still use the profits from high-end flagship models to offset part of the gross profit decline caused by mid- and low-end models. [1]

10. 阵地 zhèn dì

position, stronghold

中国厂商的主要阵地是200美元以下的低端市场 - The main stronghold of Chinese manufacturers is the low-end market below 200 dollars. [1]

• Related:

  • 阵营 zhèn yíng – camp, faction

11. 倒挂 dào guà

inversion, reversed relationship

存储成本甚至出现“倒挂”现象，如今12GB+256GB的物料成本，已超过2025年一季度16GB+1TB旗舰配置 - We’re seeing a “cost inversion” in memory right now, as the current material cost for a standard 12GB+256GB configuration is actually tracking higher than what we were paying for a top-tier 16GB+1TB flagship back in Q1 2025. [2]

12. 减配 jiǎn pèi

reduce configuration, cut features

厂商只能在提价与减配之间做选择 - Manufacturers can only choose between raising prices and downgrading configurations. [2]

• Related:
  降规 jiàng guī – lower specifications

  • 降配 jiàng pèi – downgrade configuration

13. 困境 kùn jìng

dilemma, predicament

给手机厂商带来了前所未有的经营困境 - It has brought an unprecedented business predicament to smartphone manufacturers. [4]

Three-character phrases

14. 重灾区 zhòng zāi qū

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On February 9, technology company ByteDance released Seedance 2.0, the latest version of its AI video generator.

It was quickly hailed across the Chinese internet as:

“The world’s most powerful model, surpassing OpenAI’s Sora 2.”

超越 Sora2 的地表最强模型。

But just two days later, the Seedance portal for uploading photos was locked and beta access on the mobile app was revoked.

ByteDance gave no announcement or explanation about the restrictions.

But a clue could be a review of Seedance posted by Mediastorm (影视飓风) which went viral on the same day.

Mediastorm is one of China’s most popular video production and tech review channels on Bilibili, with tens of millions of followers.

The review was by their CEO, Tim Pan (潘天鸿). In the video, he uploaded a single static photo of himself into Seedance with a simple prompt. He didn’t provide his name, or any audio recording of this voice.

Within seconds, an AI version of Tim appeared on screen and began to speak. The digital version was identical in every way. The same voice, same speaking style, and same facial expressions.

But Tim’s shock didn’t stop there:

“What makes it even more deeply unsettling is the perspective.

The photo provided only showed the front of Mediastorm’s office building. Yet the AI-generated content automatically panned to the back of the building, rendering the car park in perfect detail — exactly as it appears in reality.

This means the AI isn’t just processing the image provided. It has a fundamental understanding of the entire physical space.”

更细思极恐的是视角。上传的照片只是公司大楼的正面，但 AI 自动生成的运镜，居然准确地绕到了大楼的背面，画出了停车场的细节，与现实丝毫不差。这意味着 AI 不是在处理图像，它是在理解物理空间。

Tim concluded that ByteDance must have extensively trained Seedance 2.0 on Mediastorm’s copyrighted video content to produce such detailed and accurate results.

Whether or not this review was the direct trigger for the restrictions on Seedance remains unclear. But it certainly achieved what one commentator described as a “public execution” (公开处刑) of the platform.

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It also proved something even more chilling:

“With current technology, the cost of creating fakes has become infinitely close to zero.”

现在的技术，造假成本已经无限趋近于零。

Within hours of the Seedance 2.0 release, Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok, also owned by ByteDance) was flooded with AI remakes of well-known movies. Among the most shared were Stephen Chow (周星驰) classics, such as A Chinese Odyssey (大话西游), Kung Fu Hustle (功夫), and King of Comedy (喜剧之王). Life-like AI-generated clips of Chow’s characters, with fluid movements and even his signature comic timing, were put together and shared using nothing but simple prompts.

This quickly sparked anxieties about copyright and the ease of creating deepfakes. With the arrival of Seedance of 2.0, the tools to create them are now available to anyone with a smartphone and a single photo, at virtually no cost.

ByteDance is already facing lawsuits from Disney and others over the legality of training its models on their content without permission, and the infringement of the generated content on their IP.

The impact on China’s job market was another theme in the online discussion.

In the short term, Seedance 2.0 could lead to significant job losses across the film industry, because it has something which no earlier model has been able to achieve: “director’s thinking” (导演思维).

One commentator captured the unease:

“We’ve created a knife that’s too sharp. So sharp we don’t dare hand it to ordinary people.”

我们造出了一把太锋利的刀，锋利到我们不敢把它递给普通人。

In the longer term, the threat of mass job losses isn’t just limited to the film industry.

For middle-income professionals across many sectors, whose experience and expertise is built up over many years, could soon be rendered obsolete by a simple AI prompt:

“Since AI can now mimic or even outperform the skillsets of mid-level professionals at very low cost, the value of this ‘experience’ is rapidly shrinking.”

由于AI能够以极低成本模拟甚至超越中等收入者的逻辑应用能力，这使得”经验”这一无形资产迅速贬值。

So ByteDance now faces a dilemma: Should it stop innovating with Seedance and risk ceding ground to competitors, as we saw with Alibaba’s recent AI push? Or should it carry on and face lawsuits on multiple fronts.

It’s a big moment for AI in China.

And that’s the story we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 侵权 qīn quán

infringe on rights, infringement

一段包含动作、表情、声音的视频，其侵权性质要明确得多 - A video containing movements, facial expressions, and sound makes it much easier to determine if there is copyright infringement. [3]

2. 倒计时 dào jì shí

countdown

距离传统影视被AI海啸冲走已经彻底进入倒计时了 - The countdown has officially begun for traditional filmmaking to be washed away by the AI tsunami. [2]

3. 细思极恐 xì sī jí kǒng

deeply unsettling

更细思极恐的是视角 - What makes it even more deeply unsettling is the perspective. [1]

• Related:

  • 瑟瑟发抖 sè sè fā dǒu - trembling with fear

4. 风声鹤唳 fēng shēng hè lì

be frightened by the slightest sound, be overly alarmed

影视从业者对此风声鹤唳 - Filmmakers are on edge about this. [2]

5. 背脊发凉 bèi jǐ fā liáng

a chill runs down one’s spine

对于所有关注 AI 伦理的人来说，这个实验让人背脊发凉 - For everyone who cares about AI ethics, this experiment sends a chill down the spine. [1]

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Useful words

6. 趋近 qū jìn

draw close to, approach

现在的技术，造假成本已经无限趋近于零 - With current technology, the cost of creating fakes has become infinitely close to zero. [1]

7. 伪造 wěi zào

forge, fabricate

未来一切缺乏官方权威渠道背书的视频，都可能是伪造的 - In the future, any video not officially endorsed may be fake. [1]

• Related:

  • 造假 zào jiǎ – falsify, fake

8. 媲美 pì měi

be comparable to, rival

效果足以媲美前端工程师、后端工程师等多人协作的成果 - The AI-generated products can rival what a team of engineers can achieve. [2]

9. 饭碗 fàn wǎn

rice bowl, livelihood

各国政府即使明知道AI会对部分人的饭碗产生影响，也无法停下发展的脚步 - Even though governments know that some will lose their jobs because of AI, they cannot put a stop to its development. [2]

10. 震怒 zhèn nù

be furious, enraged

流量狂欢的背后，是版权方的震怒 - Behind the hype lies the fury of the owners of the original content. [3]

11. 雷区 léi qū

minefield, danger zone

这种“技术民主化”看似降低了创作门槛，实则是在版权的雷区上跳舞 - This “democratization of technology” appears to lower the barrier to entry for creators, but in reality it is dancing through the copyright minefield. [3]

12. 博弈 bó yì

game, strategic contest

AI时代的版权博弈，可能不会像今日头条时代那样容易收场 - The copyright battle in the AI era may not end as easily as it did in the era of Toutiao. [3]

Three-character phrases

13. 导火索 dǎo huǒ suǒ

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Chinese brands are cashing in on horse-related wordplay for Spring Festival celebrity endorsements.

They’re hiring celebrities with the family name, Ma (马 “horse”), which is a common surname in China:

“The whole internet is “drama-ing” or ‘chasing the horse’.

The hottest products right now are horse-themed, and zodiac collectibles are solid investments as usual.

Anything vaguely related to the horse is guaranteed to go viral.”

马年来了，全网都在”抓马”。最近火爆的商品也大多跟”马”有关，传统类的”马年生肖产品”依旧能有”理财”的效果。总之，现在沾”马”就要火。

• Note: 抓马 is borrowed from the English, “drama” which sounds similar. It usually has nothing to do with “horse”, but here it’s a play on words. We explain in the RTM podcast.

The best example of a horse celebrity endorsement is table tennis player, Ma Long (马龙 — “Horse Dragon”):

Two years ago in the Year of the Dragon, he picked up plenty of brand deals thanks to his nickname “Team Dragon” captain.

Now in the Horse Year, brands are still coming for him. But the smartest move belongs to Nanfu Battery, who has kept him on since the Dragon Year.

前两年是龙年，他凭借”龙队”的外号，收到了不少代言。马年依然有大量品牌找他，还是南孚电池聪明，从龙年一直合作到现在。

Elsewhere, dairy giant, Yili Group (伊利集团), hired three Horse brand ambassadors, Ma Yili (马伊琍), Ma Sichun (马思纯), and Ma Dong (马东) for its Horse Year “homophone meme” (谐音梗) adverts.

Actress Ma Yili (马伊琍) ads had the tagline: “I’m Ma Yili — I choose Yili in the Year of the Horse (Ma)” (我是马伊琍，马年喝伊利).

While Ma Sichun (马思纯), also an actress, plugged the milk brand with: “I want to have pure milk in the Year of the Horse” (马年思念纯牛奶) — a clever play on all three characters in her name.

Yili rival, Mengniu (蒙牛), countered with a surprising hire, who:

Fast-tracked a deal with football’s ultimate dark horse: Spanish footballer, Lamine Yamal.

蒙牛火速官宣了”足球黑马”，西班牙足球明星——亚马尔，做代言。

Yamal’s Chinese name is Ya Ma’er (亚马尔) — with Ma (horse) as the middle character. His tagline wrote itself:

“Ya! The horse is here!” (呀！马儿来了).

International celebrities were also unexpectedly dragged into the Horse Year meme machine included Harry Potter villain, Draco Malfoy, whose Chinese name is Ma Erfu (马尔福), which contains the characters for “horse” (马) and “fortune” (福). Add in the villain factor and you’ve got Chinese New Year meme gold!

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But the definitive Horse Year meme was a sad-faced toy.

“Crying Horse” (哭哭马) is a red toy horse with a downturned sad-looking mouth. It’s the result of a defect caused by a worker in an Yiwu factory which made the festive toys. What should have been a “Happy Horse” (笑笑马) had its smile sowed on the wrong way up so looks like it’s about to burst into tears.

Unaware of the mistake, the factory distributed a small number of the faulty toys, which made it into the shops. A buyer in Hangzhou posted an image of one online with the caption:

“This totally looks like me on a Monday morning”

这表情像极了周一上班的我。

The post went viral, and Crying Horse sold out instantly.

The Yiwu factory saw sales surge 300% in just three days, and now has orders backed up until March. On January 23rd, the factory owner announced she would reward the worker responsible with a bonus of 8,888 yuan every year for 12 years.

In the meantime, netizens got to work on the wordplay, with a fresh take on a traditional Horse Year idiom:

‘Turning the smile upside down brings success to the Year of the Horse’”

马倒成功

Crying Horse was given more relatable and grumpy work-related nicknames like:

• “Monday Horse” (周一马)

• “Overtime Horse” (加班马)

• “Client-from-Hell Horse” (甲方马)

Because, according to one commenter:

“This horse is looks exactly like me when I don’t want to go to work!”

像极了不想上班的我！

The arrival of Crying Horse gave permission for less seasonal and more cynical horse-related new Year greetings, repurposing common phrases like:

“Give yourself a break” (放自己一马).

“Workhorse spirit” (牛马精神).

The popularity of Crying Horse is part of a bigger shift towards “emotional buying” (情绪消费). China “emotional consumption” market hit 2.72 trillion yuan (nearly $4 billion) in 2025, and is estimated to exceed 4.5 trillion yuan ($6.5 billion) by 2029.

That’s because according to one piece of research, over half of China’s Gen Z consumers (56%) now say they are willing to pay more for “emotional value” (情绪价值), while 78% say they’ll pay 20% more for products they feel an emotional connection to.

So a defective sad-looking toy horse, it turns out, is galloping with a very large consumer trend.

Which is what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 抓马 zhuā mǎ

over-the-top drama; chasing the pony in the Year of the Horse

马年来了，整个互联网都成了巨大的“抓马”现场 - The Year of the Horse is here, and the whole internet is “chasing the pony”. [3]

• Note: One of my favourite Chinese words ever… The transliteration of the English word, “drama”.

2. 丑萌 chǒu méng

ugly but cute, adorably ugly

既保留了画中马匹生动的姿态，看起来也更显“丑萌” - It retains the lively posture of the horse in the painting while making it look even more adorably ugly. [3]

• Related:

  • 反差萌 fǎn chā méng – gap moe, cuteness arising from a contradictory discrepancy between two of a person’s attributes

3. 马倒成功 mǎ dào chéng gōng

turning the smile upside down brings success to the Year of the Horse

“手工限量版”的哭哭马恰恰寓意着“马倒成功” - This Crying Horse with its unintended frown is the limited handmade edition that carries the symbolic meaning of “turning the smile upside down brings success to the Year of the Horse”. [3]

• Note: Newly coined version of the original idiom “when horses arrive, success follows” (马到成功)

4. 画风清奇 huà fēng qīng qí

quirky, bizarre, eccentric

这两个开局爆火的马年单品一个不高兴、一个独自潦草，实在是画风清奇 - These two breakout hits of the Year of the Horse certainly aren’t your typical mascots: one is visibly depressed, while the other embraces an unpolished charm. [3]

• Note: internet slang

5. 一战成名 yí zhàn chéng míng

become famous in one move, rise to fame overnight

可能连包师傅本人也没想到，自己干了一辈子的活，竟因为一次失误一战成名 - Even Master Bao himself probably didn’t expect that despite years of craftsmanship, he would become an overnight sensation because of one human error. [4]

• Related:

  • 一夜爆红 yí yè bào hóng – become wildly popular overnight

  • 红极一时 hóng jí yì shí – extremely popular for a time

  • 网红爆品 wǎng hóng bào pǐn – viral internet product

🎧RTM Podcast Preview

This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, we explain three “horse” phrases. And two of them aren’t even Chinese!

Tune in at 7 minutes where we break down what they mean and the stories behind them…

How native speakers use them…

And how you can use them in real conversations right now and show off your amazing Chinese!

Consuming the Conversation

💡 Ready to get inspired to bridge the gap to real-world fluency? 💡

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Useful words

6. 走俏 zǒu qiào

sell well, be in great demand

最近几个月，“姓马”的明星特别走俏 - In recent months, celebrities with the surname Ma have been highly sought after. [1]

• Related:

  • 走红 zǒu hóng – become popular

  • 爆火 bào huǒ – suddenly go viral

  • 爆单 bào dān – receive a surge of orders

  • 顶流 dǐng liú – top-tier celebrity, top influencer

7. 治愈 zhì yù

heal

它回应的是人们被理解、被陪伴、被治愈的心理渴望 - It responds to people’s psychological desire to be understood, accompanied, and emotionally healed. [2]

8. 委屈 wěi qu

feel wronged, aggrieved

“哭哭马”的走红，正源于它作为“委屈”“疲惫”等情感的具象载体 - The popularity of the Crying Horse comes from it becoming a vehicle for emotions like feeling wronged and exhausted. [2]

9. 出马 chū mǎ

make an appearance, step in publicly

去年，马龙的“出马”广告就疯狂刷屏 - Last year, Ma Long’s appearance in an advertisement where he rode a horse went viral on the internet. [3]

10. 黑马 hēi mǎ

dark horse, unexpected winner

25元/只的玩偶哭哭马成了2026开年最红的“商业黑马” - The 25-yuan Crying Horse became the biggest commercial dark horse at the start of 2026. [3]

11. 嘴替 zuǐ tì

spokesperson (informal), someone who says what others feel

把“哭哭马”奉为“打工人专属嘴替” - The Crying Horse has been hailed as the spiritual animal for the weary corporate workers. [5]

12. 玩梗 wán gěng

joke using internet memes

通过造梗、玩梗，难以承受的“重”，变成了可以传递、消费、调侃的“轻” - Through the creation and sharing of memes, the unbearable weight of reality is transformed into a digestible, shareable, and playful “lightness”. [5]

• Related:

  • 爆梗 bào gěng – viral meme

  • 造梗 zào gěng – create a meme

Three-character phrases

13. 心头好 xīn tóu hǎo

favourite, cherished favourite

凭借下拉的嘴角、潦草的发型成了网友们的心头好，走红后直接卖爆了 - With its drooping mouth and messy hairstyle, it became netizens’ favourite and an overnight bestseller after going viral. [3]

14. 整活儿 zhěng huó’r

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Alibaba’s AI agent, Qwen (千问), has been making headlines with the launch of its “Spring Festival 3 Billion Giveaway” (春节30亿大免单) campaign.

On February 6th, Qwen began offering unlimited free bubble tea vouchers. Users could order a drink through a simple prompt to Qwen, which would then process it through its Alipay integration without having to jump between multiple apps.

But the bubble tea campaign is just the visible tip of Alibaba’s AI strategy.

Two weeks earlier, on January 15th, the tech giant announced that Qwen had integrated with major platforms across its ecosystem including Taobao Flash Buy (淘宝闪购), Fliggy (飞猪), Damai (大麦), Freshippo (盒马), Tmall Supermarket (天猫超市), and Alipay (支付宝).

This means users can now purchase anything from bubble tea to concert tickets to flights with a single prompt to Alibaba’s AI agent. It’s the beginning of a fundamental shift in how AI is used in daily life, captured in this popular internet slang phrase:

From chatting to getting things done: Qwen breaks down AI’s “dimensional wall.”

从聊天到办事：千问拆掉AI的”次元壁”。

• In other words… going from the virtual into real world use.

Qwen’s milk tea campaign covered over 300,000 tea stores nationwide, including major brands like Heytea (喜茶), Nayuki (奈雪的茶), Luckin Coffee (瑞幸咖啡), and Mixue Bingcheng (蜜雪冰城).

The giveaway immediately triggered a consumer frenzy. Within hours of the launch, Qwen crashed due to overwhelming traffic, and “Get free bubble tea from Qwen” (千问免费奶茶) began trending on social media as users showed off their “first AI bubble tea” (第一杯AI奶茶).

A staggering 10 million orders were completed through Qwen in just 9 hours. The sudden surge put huge pressure on tea shops and delivery riders around the country, with many outlets forced to close due to lack of personnel and inability to fulfil orders, as one shop owner explained:

“We’re overwhelmed, so I haven’t had time to check. But the order volume is several times more than usual.”

“太忙了，还没来得及看，比平时多出好几倍。” [1]

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The lead up to Spring Festival has always been an important battleground for China’s tech companies to attract eyeballs and new users through discounts and freebies. It’s also a time to cultivate new consumption habits.

This follows the playbook of WeChat’s legendary 2015 Spring Festival Gala red envelope campaign — a move Alibaba founder Jack Ma famously called a “Pearl Harbour attack” (偷袭珍珠港) on his payments business, which cemented WeChat’s dominant position in mobile payments overnight.

Competition between China’s tech giants and their AI agents (AI助手 in Chinese) is similarly intense. Qwen is competing with DeepSeek, Tencent’s Yuanbao (腾讯元宝), ByteDance’s Doubao (豆包), and Baidu’s Wenxin Assistant (文心助手).

By the end of 2025, Doubao dominated China’s AI app market with 172 million monthly active users, while DeepSeek held second place with 145 million. Tencent’s Yuanbao trailed in third with around 73 million monthly active users. And Qwen, despite being backed by Alibaba’s massive ecosystem, sat at around 30 million monthly active users.

Qwen’s Spring Festival offensive is designed to close that gap by “integrating AI into daily life and solving real needs” (接入生活、解决刚需). Through the gimmick of free bubble tea, Qwen is hoping to cultivate a simple idea of:

“If you need something, just ask Qwen” (有事找千问).

While Qwen launched its 3 billion yuan Spring Festival voucher campaign, Baidu’s Wenxin splashed 500 million yuan in red envelopes, and Tencent’s Yuanbao countered with a 1 billion yuan giveaway on WeChat.

But Doubao has the highest-profile play yet to come. It will offer "hardcore" (硬核) giveaways of tech products integrated with AI capabilities as the official AI partner of the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala. ByteDance's cloud computing division, Volcano Engine, secured the exclusive AI cloud partnership for the show. As part of the deal, Doubao will provide interactive AI features during the broadcast on New Year's Eve, reaching the gala's massive audience — which attracted a record-breaking 1 billion viewers in 2025.

So which AI agent will come out of this year’s Spring Festival on top?

That’s what we’re discussing this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 拉拢 lā lǒng

win over, draw over (to one’s side)

奶茶早已成为拉拢年轻人的通行证 - Bubble tea has long become the key to winning over young people. [1]

• Related:

  • 聚拢 jù lǒng – gather together

  • 拉新 lā xīn – attract new customers

2. 裂变 liè biàn

fission, viral growth

腾讯元宝以 10 亿红包切入微信社交场景，采用 “分享抽奖、邀友加码” 的裂变玩法 - Tencent launched a 1-billion-yuan viral referral campaign on WeChat to rapidly grow its AI assistant Yuanbao, incentivizing users to share the app with friends in exchange for cash rewards. [3]

3. 次元壁 cì yuán bì

dimensional wall, barrier between worlds

从聊天到办事：千问拆掉AI的“次元壁” - Beyond the chatbot: Qwen breaks the AI “dimensional wall”. [2]

4. 投石问路 tóu shí wèn lù

test the waters, make a trial move

奶茶只是前站，是投石问路的先锋 - Qwen is just testing the waters with their bubble tea campaign and it’s not going to stop there. [2]

5. 必争之地 bì zhēng zhī dì

a place that must be fought over, strategic battleground

红包大战补贴外，春晚赞助也成为了兵家必争之地 - Apart from the subsidy war of red envelopes, Spring Festival Gala sponsorship has also become a strategic battleground for the tech giants. [3]

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🎧RTM Podcast Preview

This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, we explain three advanced phrases for discussing business and tech trends.

But none of them actually started out as Chinese expressions!

Tune in at 7 minutes where we break down what they mean and the stories behind them…

How native speakers use them…

And how you can use them in real conversations right now and show off your amazing Chinese!

Consuming the Conversation

💡 Ready to get inspired to bridge the gap to real-world fluency? 💡

In every RTM Advanced post you unlock content and tools to inspire you, and help you get fluent.So, ready to finally get started and wave goodbye to that nagging rusty feeling?

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Consuming the Conversation

Useful words

6. 爆单 bào dān

a surge of orders, orders flooding in

所有的奶茶店都爆单了，我这全部都超时了，在向平台申诉 - All the boba places are swamped. All my orders are running late and I’m disputing the late penalties with the platform. [1]

7. 席卷 xí juǎn

sweep across, sweep through

在今天的这一场奶茶大战前，餐饮行业早已被“外卖大战”席卷近半年 - Long before today’s bubble tea showndown, the food and beverage industry had already been ravaged by the delivery war for nearly half a year. [1]

8. 崩溃 bēng kuì

collapse, break down

停不下来！停不下来！我们要崩溃了！！ - The orders keep coming in! There’s no sign of stop and we’re about to break down!! [1]

• Related:

  • 崩了 bēng le – crashed

  • 炸了 zhà le – blew up (slang: exploded/overloaded)

  • 瘫痪 tān huàn – paralyzed, shut down

9. 攻势 gōng shì

offensive, aggressive push

千问“春节 30 亿大免单” 以购物免单为核心，率先打响奶茶攻势 - Qwen fires the first shot in the bubble tea offensive with 3-billion-yuan promo. [2]

10. 刚需 gāng xū

rigid demand, essential need

红包大战可以换来一时流量，却换不来长期刚需 - Cash giveaway can drive traffic in the short run, but it can’t build sustainable demand. [3]

11. 出招 chū zhāo

make a move, make a strategic move

外界将继续关注豆包和抖音的战略进展，尤其是在赞助央视春晚前和期间的出招 - Market attention remains focused on Doubao and Douyin’s strategic roadmap, with all eyes on its sponsorship moves before and during the Spring Gala. [4]

• Related:

  • 接招 jiē zhāo - respond to a move, counter a move

Three-character phrases

12. 史诗级 shǐ shī jí

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I’ve spent the last week in Beijing and Shanghai, and during that time I had the opportunity to talk to lots of entrepreneurs to get a feel for what business is like in China right now.

All the entrepreneurs I spoke to are obsessing over one thing: “Going global” (出海).

With fierce competition and weakening consumer spending at home, companies are looking for new growth opportunities abroad. For them, it’s about survival, as the popular saying goes:

If you don’t go global, you’re going down!

不出海，就出局！

Many “go global” attempts don’t work out. I’ve seen this for myself in the UAE and Saudi in recent months, which are currently two of the popular destinations for Chinese investment, captured in the phrase, “the Middle East is hot” (中东热). The cultural gap, lack of trust and understanding on both sides, and working with the wrong partners are just some of the causes of failure.

But plenty of Chinese companies have also gone global successfully. And some have done it without having to build businesses in foreign markets from scratch.

Through acquiring well established but struggling Western “heritage” brands, Chinese investors turn companies around through increased efficiencies, reduced costs, and opening up China’s huge consumer market for these international brands.

We’re discussing one of these companies this week, which is the sportswear conglomerate, Anta Group (安踏集团). Founded in 1991 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 2007, Anta has become China’s dominant domestic sportswear player with a market capitalisation of around $28 billion.

Last week, Anta announced it is acquiring a 29.06% stake in Puma SE for €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion), becoming the German sportswear brand’s largest shareholder. Anta is purchasing approximately 43 million Puma shares from owner, Groupe Artémis, at €35 per share which represents a 62% premium over Puma’s closing share price on the day before the announcement.

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The deal comes as Puma is struggling on multiple fronts.

Its shares have plummeted nearly 50% in value over the last year. Sales in the first nine months of 2025 declined by 4.3%. And in the Greater China market, its business made cumulative losses of €309 million in the first three quarters of 2025.

Puma has also lost ground to established brands like Nike and Adidas, and upstart challengers like On Running and Hoka. Puma’s products are consistently behind trends set by its competitors, like when Adidas launched its retro trainer, Samba, roughly six months before Puma could respond to the resurgence of that trend.

Arthur Hoeld, who took Puma’s helm in July 2024, quickly announced a comprehensive turnaround plan soon after joining. It was a “strategic reset”, including cutting 900 corporate jobs, which is roughly 5% of Puma’s 20,000-person workforce globally.

So it’s into this turnaround scenario that Anta arrives, with cash, experience, and ambition.

Anta’s “go global” strategy has centred on acquiring and revitalising Western sports and lifestyle brands through what it calls “single-focus, multi-brand, globalisation” (单聚焦、多品牌、全球化).

The company’s portfolio now includes many well-known international brands, like FILA, Descente, Kolon Sport, Jack Wolfskin, and Maia Active. And in 2019 Anta led a consortium that acquired Amer Sports for $5.2 billion—a deal that brought Arc’teryx, Salomon, Wilson, Peak Performance, and Atomic under Anta control. For high-end outdoor apparel brand, Arc’teryx (始祖鸟), that deal delivered exceptional growth through expansion in China, despite its recent reputation challenges.

Ding Shizhong (丁世忠), Anta’s chairman, framed the Puma investment as the next chapter in this playbook:

“This acquisition marks a major step forward in our ‘single-focus, multi-brand, globalisation’ strategy.

Working with Puma, we look forward to learning from each other and joining hands to fully unlock the brand’s full potential.”

这是安踏“单聚焦、多品牌、全球化”战略的重要里程碑。未来双方在高度共识的领域开展协作、优势互补，为该品牌的复兴之路提供有益的支持 [4]

In China, industry analysts have mixed views on the investment.

Some see it as “strategically complementary” (战略互补). Because geographically Puma is strong in Europe and Latin America but weak in China and North America, where Anta has deep operational experience and distribution networks. Puma is also strong in some product categories where Anta has gaps, like football (soccer), motorsports, running, and basketball.

But others reckon that as Anta’s portfolio grows, maintaining distinct brand identities will become increasingly difficult, leading to excessive “homogenisation” (同质化) and even “cannibalisation” (品牌互噬) of its brands. Some investors are also concerned that Anta has bitten off more than it can chew by financing the deal from its own cash reserves, using a colourful Chinese phrase to make the point:

With an acquisition price tag exceeding 10 billion RMB, the market is closely scrutinising Anta’s financial health.

After all, the 2019 deal where an Anta-led consortium acquired Amer Sports for approximately €4.66 billion was widely characterized as “a snake swallowing an elephant”.

斥资超百亿进行收购，市场非常关切安踏的财务健康状况。毕竟，2019年安踏牵头财团对亚玛芬体育约46.6亿欧元的收购，就曾被外界形容为一笔“蛇吞象”交易。

However, most observers agree that the deal offers Puma an opportunity for immediate China market expansion which will be good for its short-term growth.

Anta’s deep understanding of Chinese consumers, its sophisticated “Brand + Retail” (品牌加营销) business model, and its extensive distribution network could dramatically accelerate Puma’s China market presence.

So that’s what we’re exploring this week!

Favourite Five

1. 赋能 fù néng

empower, enable

外界同样关注的是安踏在经营层面对彪马的赋能 - The outside world is also paying close attention to how Anta is empowering Puma at the operational level. [2]

2. 蛇吞象 shé tūn xiàng

a snake wallowing an elephant, biting off more than you can chew

2019年安踏牵头财团对亚玛芬体育约46.6亿欧元的收购，就曾被外界形容为一笔“蛇吞象”交易 - The 2019 deal where an Anta-led consortium acquired Amer Sports for approximately €4.66 billion was widely characterized as “a snake swallowing an elephant”. [3]

3. 如愿以偿 rú yuàn yǐ cháng

to have one’s wish fulfilled, to get what one wanted

如今安踏集团董事局主席丁世忠算是如愿以偿 - Today, Anta Group’s chairman Ding Shizhong can be said to have finally achieved what he wanted. [2]

4. 一拍即合 yì pāi jí hé

to hit it off immediately, to agree instantly

彪马期待安踏带来“品牌重塑”，安踏看上了彪马的全球品牌资产基本盘，因此一拍即合 - The deal represents a perfect synergy: Puma is banking on Anta’s expertise in brand repositioning, while Anta seeks to capitalize on Puma’s global brand equity. [3]

5. 可遇不可求 kě yù bù kě qiú

rare and hard to come by, cannot be forced

好的品牌基因与价值沉淀可遇不可求 - Strong brand DNA and legacy cannot be bought and are hard to come by. [1]

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Useful words

6. 筹谋 chóu móu

to plan, to scheme

这是一场筹谋已久的交易 - This deal has been years in the making. [1]

7. 接盘 jiē pán

to take over, to assume control (often of a troubled asset)

安踏则是传闻中最有可能的接盘者 - Anta was rumoured to be the most likely party to take over. [1]

• Related:

  • 接手 jiē shǒu – to take over, to assume responsibility

8. 战绩 zhàn jì

track record

过往的成功战绩已经让安踏成为一个国际化的并购品牌 - Its proven track record has already made Anta a global serial acquirer. [1]

9. 铁腕 tiě wàn

iron-fisted, tough-handed

安踏是否会掀起一轮更铁腕的渠道改革 - Will Anta force an even more aggressive channel reset? [2]

10. 撬动 qiào dòng

to leverage, to pry open

通过一个相对较小的财务投资，撬动对一个庞大潮流生态在中国市场运营的深度参与权 - Anta uses a relatively small amount of capital to secure an outsized strategic influence over this global brand’s operation in China. [3]

11. 拼图 pīn tú

puzzle piece, missing piece

彪马则可以填补安踏在国际流行运动及专业体育细分领域的拼图 - Puma serves to complete Anta’s strategic puzzle, as it fills the critical gaps in both global athleisure and high-performance athletic niches. [4]

12. 契合 qì hé

to align with, to fit well

因为这家德国公司很好地契合了该运动服装公司的全球化战略 - Because the German company aligns well with the sportswear company’s globalization strategy. [4]

13. 解药 jiě yào

antidote, solution

安踏与彪马，能否成为相互的解药 - Anta and Puma: Can they become each other’s strategic remedy? [4]

Three character phrases

14. 回马枪 huí mǎ qiāng

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On November 29, 2025, a 32-year-old software programmer, Gao Guanghui (高广辉), collapsed at his home in Guangzhou.

The night before, he had worked overtime until 10pm. The following morning, which was a Saturday, he woke up early telling his sleeping wife he needed to finish some urgent work.

His wife got up shortly after to find him collapsed in his chair. She called an ambulance and tried to help him downstairs. On his way down, Gao collapsed again in the lift. Before losing consciousness, he asked his wife to bring his laptop so he could carry on working.

He arrived at the hospital around 9am and was transferred into intensive care.

While all this was unfolding, his work tasks continued to flow in. He was added to a new work group chat at 10:48am. And at 11:15am, someone in the group asked him:

“Gao, can you take care of this ticket?”

高工帮忙处理一下这个订单

At 1pm, he was pronounced dead.

That evening at 9pm, a new message popped up on Gao’s WeChat:

“There’s an urgent task on Monday. It didn’t pass today’s check, so we need you to fix this.”

周一有急任务，今天验货不过，要把这个改下。

But Gao’s response never came.

Gao Guanghui grew up in Henan Province and moved to Guangzhou to study at university. After graduating, he stayed in the city to start a career as a software developer. In 2019, he joined CVTE (视源股份) a major tech company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. It’s one of the world’s largest suppliers of interactive displays and collaboration tools.

For someone who’d grown up in the countryside, this was a dream job.

According to his wife, however, Gao had been working increasingly long hours as he moved into more senior roles. In the months before his death, Gao told his wife his workload had tripled. He had requested additional staff support from management, but that was ignored.

When he was promoted in 2021 to department manager, his responsibilities and pressures multiplied further, but his salary only increased from 12,000 yuan to 16,000 yuan ($2,300).

Overtime on evenings and weekends became the norm. His working hours were “995.5” — 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, plus half a day on Saturday, when he would usually return home at around 4pm.

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His employer operates an “elimination system” (末位淘汰制), where the lowest performers are regularly sacked. At the same time, CVTE proudly touts its “corporate family culture” (家文化). But that’s just cover for the normalisation of overtime which is framed as a contribution to the “family”. In which the boundary between work and life disappears, and humans become an expendable resource:

Because in the system, a person isn’t classified as “human being”—they’re a task to be performed, part of a process to be carried out, and a form to be filled out.

因为在系统视角里，人不是”人”，而是一项责任、一段流程、一份表格。

The story has only really blown up on social media in the last week.

Gao’s wife believes her husband died due to chronic overwork. She has applied for an official assessment to have his death recognised as “work-related” (工伤). But because he died on a Saturday — not during official working hours — that will be difficult to secure.

On the surface at least, the company has tried to appear supportive. CVTE has provided the family with 390,000 yuan ($56,000) in compensation, in what it describes as a “humanitarian relief payment” (人道主义抚恤金). They also paid out a 60,000 yuan in year-end bonus, and 20,000 yuan in salary for November. But CVTE has not admitted any responsibility for his death, and has denied access to internal records on the grounds of them being “commercial sensitive”, making a ruling of work-related death even more unlikely.

Gao’s death has sparked widespread criticism about China’s brutal work culture in the media.

And it’s triggered an uncomfortable comparison online: a recently coined slang phrase describing the ills of American society is now being turned on Chinese companies like CVTE:

Recently, everyone was discussing the “American execution range” — you lose your job, can’t afford medical care, go bankrupt, and get “physically eliminated” by the system.

Many people reposted those original posts about the US with hidden relief of: “Thank goodness it’s not us.”

But now if you look at this 32-year-old programmer, you’ll discover an even more brutal truth:

You don’t need to end up on the streets to be eliminated.

前阵子，大家都在讨论”美国斩杀线“。说美国人一旦失业、看不起病、破产，就会被系统”物理清除”。很多人转发的时候，带着一种隐秘的庆幸:”还好不是我们。”可现在你再回头看这个32岁的程序员。你会发现一个更残酷的事实：你不需要流落街头。

• "Execution range" (斩杀线), also translated as "kill line," is a gaming term that's been repurposed to describe work culture in Chinese companies — where people like Gao are trapped in a deadly cycle of overwork and impossible employer expectations. For which he paid the ultimate price.

So that’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 猝死 cù sǐ

sudden death

“广州32岁程序员周末晕倒后猝死”登上热搜，引发关注 - “The sudden death of a 32-year-old programmer in Guangzhou” surged to the top of social media trends , drawing millions of views. [1]

2. 残忍 cán rěn

cruel, brutal

新闻说得很克制，但信息本身已经足够残忍 - The language used in the news report was very restrained, but the content itself was already brutal enough. [3]

• Related:

  • 残酷 cán kù – cruel, harsh

  • 冷酷 lěng kù – cold, ruthless

3. 斩杀线 zhǎn shā xiàn

kill line, execution range

这才是真正的“打工人斩杀线” - This is what makes the working people fall within the “execution range”. [3]

4. 扛不住 káng bú zhù

unable to hold on, can’t take it anymore

扛不住，是你不够拼 - If you can’t take it, it means you’re not pushing yourself hard enough. [3]

• Related:

  • 绷不住 bēng bú zhù - unable to hold it together, about to break down

5. 多劳多得 duō láo duō dé

more work, more pay; performance-based salary

公司薪酬结构就是这么划分的，必须多劳多得 - The company’s compensation structure means more work equals more pay. [2]

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Useful words

6. 工伤 gōng shāng

work-related injury, workplace injury

她认为，丈夫是在高强度工作中突发疾病去世，并申请了工伤认定 - She has filed for occupational injury assessment because her husband collapsed while working overtime. [1]

7. 诟病 gòu bìng

to criticize, to be widely criticized

“996”工作制、项目冲刺期无休加班等现象屡遭诟病 - The “996” work culture and non-stop overtime during project crunch have repeatedly been criticized. [2]

8. 帮衬 bāng chèn

to help out, to provide support

两边都是普通家庭，很难帮衬什么 - Both of them come from an ordinary family, so there is very little their parents can help with. [1]

9. 拼命 pīn mìng

to risk one’s life, to go all out

我们一边拼命工作，一边省钱装修 - We worked non-stop while saving money on renovation. [1]

• Related:

  • 献命 xiàn mìng – to sacrifice one’s life

10. 疲惫 pí bèi

tired, exhausted

出事前三周，他就很疲惫了，经常加班到很晚 - He was already exhausted three weeks before his sudden death, as he often worked overtime until very late. [1]

• Related:
  心累 xīn lèi – mentally exhausted, emotionally drained

11. 熬夜 áo yè

to stay up late

长期缺觉、熬夜真的会损害健康 - Chronic sleep deprivation and staying up late really do harm your health. [1]

• Related:

  • 通宵 tōng xiāo – to stay up all night

12. 透支 tòu zhī

overdrawn, to overextend

你不需要流落街头。你只需要：持续加班、长期透支、永远在线、永远负责 - You don’t need to end up on the streets to be eliminated. All you need is to keep working overtime, overextend yourself long-term, always be online, and always take responsibility. [3]

13. 过劳 guò láo

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In early January, a new app called “Are You Dead?” (死了么) became an overnight sensation in China.

Priced at 8 yuan ($1.10), Are You Dead? topped Apple’s App Store paid downloads chart on January 10, although the app itself had been online for around six months.

It has one function:

Open the app, enter your name, fill in your emergency contact’s email, then check in by tapping that big green button in the centre of the screen.

In doing so, you’ve just made your declaration to the world: I’ve survived yet another day!!

打开，写上姓名，填写紧急联系人邮箱，然后就猛戳中间那个巨大的绿色按钮签到，你就完成了对世界的宣言——我又多活了一天!!

If users miss a check-in for two consecutive days, the app automatically sends an alert email to their emergency contact.

And that's it!

Despite its viral success, Are You Dead? has humble beginnings. It was developed in under a month by three “post-95” (95后) entrepreneurs.

One of the co-founders, Guo Mengchu (郭孟初) explains the backstory:

“Are You Dead?” is our side project, as we all have full-time jobs. The three of us finished it in less than a month during evenings and weekends, and it only cost us 1,500 yuan.

I was responsible for product positioning and feature design, Xiao Han (小韩) did the UI, and Xiao Li (小李) handled app development.

“死了么”是我们兼职做的，我们都有本职工作。三个人利用晚上和周末时间，不到一个月就做完了，成本才1500块。我负责产品定位和功能设计，小韩做UI，小李搞研发。

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Are You Dead? has struck a nerve with many young people. It’s especially popular with those around or over the age of 25, living alone in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in China. These solo-dwellers are often referred to “empty nest youth” (空巢青年).

So, why has Are You Dead? got so popular?

First, is the name itself. It's "taboo" (晦气), and is probably the first product in China with "death" (死) in its name. So this novelty, and the similarity to food delivery platform, Eleme ("Are You Hungry?" — 饿了么), created curiosity, drove attention and generated a buzz.

Second, the app addresses a “fear” (恐惧) which many of its target users have. China now has 123 million solo dwellers, and by 2030, that’s projected to reach 150-200 million. Many of them worry about having an accident at home — or worse, “dying alone” (孤独死) — and not being found. So, Are You Dead? offers a simple solution to calm that angst.

Third is it’s a “lightweight” (轻量) way to keep in touch. Young adults living far from their parents need a way to keep in touch with family and friends back home—without having to actually speak to them too much. This app offers something lighter than WeChat or a phone call, which helps avoid the pressures which phone calls bring, like continuous “marriage nagging” (催婚).

The explosion in popularity of Are You Dead? has also triggered surprising consequences.

Over 60 investors have approached the founders in the last two weeks, pushing the valuation from 1 million yuan ($143,000) to nearly 10 million yuan ($1.4 million).

Then on January 15, the app was removed from China's App Store with no explanation, although current users could still access it. News articles about the removal were largely removed. And when asked about the removal, cofounder Guo Mengchu, also gave no explanation, but hinted at a rebrand using the name of the international version, Demumu.

The buzz around the app drove increased traffic to similar apps aimed at young solo-dwellers in China. Two of the big ones: Shanyan (善言), launched in 2020, saw its user base grow tenfold in one week, and Chaoqi (朝气) said it experienced a huge spike in downloads in the last couple of weeks.

But, unsurprisingly, copycats have also followed.

On January 19, Are You Dead? issued a statement warning that knockoff apps with names like “Are You Alive?” (还活着) were flooding the market, and misleading users with nearly identical branding and functions.

So, is Are You Dead? here to stay, even if it does return with a new name?

Is it a short-lived thing? Or a symptom of a much bigger trend taking place in China?

That’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 晦气 huì qì

unlucky, inauspicious

很多人都觉得“死了么”听上去晦气 - For many people, “Are You Dead?” sounds inauspicious. [1]

• Related:

  • 气魄 qì pò – boldness, spirit

2. 爆火 bào huǒ

explode in popularity, go viral

“死了么”的爆火在很大程度上，是因为名字起得牛逼？ - Did the app “Are You Dead?” go viral largely owing to its badass name? [1]

• Related:

  • 火爆 huǒ bào – popular, explosive

  • 席卷 xí juǎn – sweep across

  • 走红 zǒu hóng – become popular

  • 爆发式 bào fā shì – explosive (growth), sudden burst

3. 孤独死 gū dú sǐ

Kodokushi, dying alone

三个95后的副业，被害怕“孤独死”的年轻人捧上热搜第一 - The side hustle of three founders born after 1995 made it to the top of the trending list thanks to young people afraid of dying alone. [4]

• Note: originally from Japanese.

4. 独居经济 dú jū jīng jì

solo-dweller economy

“独居经济”的夏天即将来临，抓住独居者的内心恐惧与心理诉求，未来将是独居商业小天才的天下 - The summer of the solo-dweller economy is fast approaching.By tapping into the inner fears and psychological needs of those living alone, those with business acumen will dominate this market segment. [1]

• Related:

  • 独居 dú jū – live alone, solitary living

5. 空巢青年 kōng cháo qīng nián

empty-nest youth, youth living alone

我们的用户定位主要是一二线城市25岁以上的独居女性。会选这个群体，是因为现在空巢青年的现象很突出，就是在大城市打拼、独居的青年越来越多 - Our target users are primarily women over 25 who live on their own in first and second-tier cities. We chose this group because the “empty-nest youth” phenomenon is now very prominent—more and more young people who moved to big cities for work are living alone. [4]

• Related:

  • 空巢老人 kōng cháo lǎo rén – empty-nest elderly

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Hint: two of them having nothing to do with death or being alive!

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Useful words

6. 冒犯 mào fàn

offend, offend someone

而它同时又用“为了关怀独居群体”这样的宣传，来消解冒犯感，赢得大众的包容 - But at the same time, they framed the app as a product for the well-being of those living alone to make its name sound less controversial while gaining public acceptance. [1]

7. 搭子 dā zi

buddy (for activities)

一个人打不了网球羽毛球，有各种社交软件找“搭子” - There are various social apps to help you find a buddy when you want to play tennis or badminton. [1]

8. 签到 qiān dào

check in

这款 App 的功能其实很简单，输入你的名字和紧急联系人邮箱，然后每天签到 - This app is actually very straightforward: enter your name and your emergency contact’s email, then check in every day. [6]

• Related:

  • 漏签 lòu qiān – miss a check-in

9. 死活 sǐ huó

life or death, well-being

但这世界上还是有人在意你死活的，知道这件事，能让人好受很多 - But there are still people in this world who care about you, and knowing that makes things feel a lot better. [1]

10. 遗言 yí yán

last words, final message

使用最多的还是签到和预留遗言，这也是我们app最初的功能 - The most-used features are still checking in and leaving a final message, which were the functions we first offered. [2]

11. 赛道 sài dào

track, segment, sector

在监管限制之外，这一赛道还面临创意归属模糊的问题 - Beyond regulatory constraints, this sector also faces issues of intellectual property. [3]

12. 切中 qiè zhòng

hit (the point), address directly

尽管产品功能单一，但“死了么”因名称玩梗和切中独居人士的困境，瞬间引爆社交媒体 - Although the product is simple, “Are You Dea?” took the internet by storm thanks to its playful name and how it directly addressed the struggles of solo dwellers. [2]

• Note: 切 is qiè, but often mispronounced as qiē

Three-character phrases

13. 话题性 huà tí xìng

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Wei Huan (魏欢) was a 28-year-old history teacher at a village high school in Lushan County (鲁山县), in rural Henan Province in central China.

She grew up in the village. With a population of just 10,000, many villagers there run cotton quilt businesses, including Wei Huan’s parents.

In 2015, Wei moved away from Lushan to attend Henan University of Science and Technology in Luoyang (洛阳), a city of seven million. She lived and worked there after graduating, and moved back to her village in Lushan in 2022 to take on her teaching role.

Popular with students, Wei Huan was described as tall, beautiful, and having an infectious smile and energy about her.

On December 10 news broke that Wei Huan had taken her own life by jumping from a first floor window into the courtyard below.

It was the day before her wedding.

Before she took her own life, Wei shared in a social media post this message:

“I clearly recognise that my greatest value lies in getting married. Seven years, starting from graduation, I resisted for seven years. If you add four years of university, that’s 11 years in total. But I failed. Even though I argued, I made a scene, I went crazy, I took a knife and slashed at him, I still had to go on blind dates and get married. Yes, that’s right, I’m weak and meek, I can’t make up my mind, so I fulfilled my duty. I went on blind dates to get myself a husband.

Parents who emotionally blackmail me into marriage, relatives who accuse me of being a bad daughter, and a partner who is entitled and disrespectful. Frankly speaking, he’s a perfect match for parents who only tell you to suck it up. So, I got married. I completed the greatest task of my life. You see, I even got money — money I could never have got no matter what I did. But now I have it just by obediently getting married...

I’m a little scared, coz after all I’m about to die. The courtyard belonging to the first-floor neighbor is right beneath the window.

I’m very sorry, but this is the only opportunity I have.”

我清楚地认识到我自己最大的价值就是结婚，七年，从毕业开始，我对抗了七年,加上大学四年，11年，我失败了，我吵，我闹，我发疯，我拿刀砍他，都要相亲，都要结婚，嗯，对，我懦弱我不行，我下不定决心，所以我听话，我相亲结婚。

以死相逼都必须要结婚的父母，指责不孝的亲戚，有一说一，蹬鼻子上脸只会气人的对象和只会让你忍的父母真是绝配。所以我结婚了，我完成了我这辈子最大的任务，你看我还得到了钱，以前我无论如何都得不到的钱，现在只要老实去结婚都有了……

我有点害怕，毕竟要死了，窗户下边是一楼的院子，很抱歉，我只能找到这个机会。

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According to friends of Wei’s interviewed in the media, she’d been unhappy for some time, regularly clashing with her mother who had been “nagging her about marriage” (催婚) constantly for more than 10 years.

The day before she killed herself, Wei announced in a WeChat group that she was cancelling the wedding. But she was forced to continue with the plan by a relative, and her mother who told her to “suck it up” (忍一忍).

On the day she died, Wei was attending a traditional family gathering hosted in her new marital home, to celebrate the wedding. She seemed withdrawn and upset. As her parents and family were handing out cigarettes and drinking during the meal, Wei saw her opportunity. She slipped out of the banquet, and made her way upstairs.

Within minutes the proceedings were brought to an abrupt and shocking end, as Wei’s body lay in the courtyard next door, motionless.

The pressures described in Wei’s final message reflect how many women in China feel as they near their late 20’s, under a constant onslaught of “marriage nagging” (催婚) from parents and reletives, who accuse them of being “unfilial” (不孝) for not wanting to marry.

Wei Huan’s suicide sparked intense discussion on social media and in the media. Among the many reasons behind marriage nagging shared by women interviewed who’ve experienced similar pressures from their families, three stood out:

The first is face. In villages in rural parts of China, often a small number of extended families may compete fiercely over land and social status. As China has urbanised in the last few decades, this competition has shifted from tussles over land to competing over material wealth, and their children’s success in marriage. So a rural woman in her twenties who isn’t married is an embarrassment who “stands out uncomfortably” (扎眼). For the parents, this is seen as them being “incompetent” (父母能力不行).

The second reason is a generational disconnect. Unlike their parents’ generation, post-90s and post-00s generations like Wei Huan have grown up amid rapid social change and modernisation. Educated young women who have experienced moving to bigger cities to work are economically more independent, and have more choice as to whether they want to marry or not. And many choose not to.

The third reason is financial. In poorer parts of China, the “betrothal gift” (彩礼) — money the groom’s family gives to the bride’s family to “buy” the wife — can be significant for a lower income family. In parts of rural China, at engagement the bride’s parents will typically receive around 66,000 yuan ($9,000), with another 88,000 yuan ($12,000) given at the wedding. Many parents collect the gift money as early as possible, so if the marriage falls apart, breaking up doesn’t result in too much financial loss.

A combination of these factors, and many other traditional, cultural, and economic reasons, means that parents and reletives of millions of young women across China are consistently nagging them to get married, even today.

The tragedy of Wei Huan is a shocking reminder of just how intense these social pressures can be.

So, that’s what we’re exploring this week.

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Favourite Five

1. 催婚 cuī hūn

push someone to get married, marriage nagging

生长于县乡，走出到城市读书又回到县城工作，随后面对扑面而来的催婚压力，这是许多县城女性正面临的境遇 - Born in the country and educated in the city, many women return to their small-town roots only to be hit with an onslaught of marriage nagging, which has become the defining struggle for them. [1]

• Related:

  • 逼迫 bī pò – to force, to compel

  • 逼婚 bī hūn – to pressure someone into marriage

2. 剩女 shèng nǚ

leftover woman (above a certain age, e.g. 30), unmarried woman

作为同样饱受催婚之苦的“大龄剩女”，我只希望天堂再无催婚 - As a fellow “old leftover woman” being pestered by marriage nagging, I only hope there’s no such pressure in heaven. [3]

• Related:

  • 光棍 guāng gùn – bachelor, single man

3. 懦弱 nuò ruò

cowardly, weak-willed

最后“懦弱”地选择结婚妥协 - In the end, she gave into the pressure and agreed to get married. [1]

4. 以死相逼 yǐ sǐ xiāng bī

to threaten with suicide, to force someone by risking one’s life

从上大学起父母就在催她相亲、结婚，魏欢多次试图反抗，甚至“以死相逼” - Since she started university, Wei Huan’s parents have been relentless about matchmaking and marriage. She fought back time and again, eventually reaching a breaking point where she threatened her own life just to make them stop. [1]

5. 以死明志 yǐ sǐ míng zhì

to die to show determination, suicide to prove a point

有河南女教师新婚当日从婚房7楼一跃而下，以死明“志” - In Henan, a young female teacher jumped from the seventh floor of her new home on her wedding day, using her own death to make a final, desperate statement. [3]

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🎧RTM Podcast Preview

This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, our editor, Zoe Qian (who is way more qualified to talk about this topic than I am), shares much more insights about how “marriage nagging” varies across different parts of China.

And the differences between three marriage-related words:

• 彩礼 cǎi lǐ — bride price / betrothal gifts

• 份子钱 fèn zi qián — cash gift / red envelope money

• 嫁妆 jià zhuang — dowry money or valuables given to the bride

Tune in at 7 minutes where she breaks down what they mean and the stories behind them…

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Useful words

6. 婚事 hūn shì

marriage

接下来的目标就是早点定下婚事 - The next objective is to have the match finalized as soon as possible. [1]

• Related:

  • 早婚 zǎo hūn – early marriage

  • 定亲 dìng qīn – engagement

  • 出嫁 chū jià – (of a woman) to marry out

  • 上嫁 shàng jià – to marry up (into a higher-status family)

  • 领证 lǐng zhèng – to register a marriage (and get the certificate)

  • 适婚年龄 shì hūn nián líng – marriageable age

7. 相亲 xiāng qīn

blind date, arranged date

他们通过亲戚介绍、上相亲网站帮徐妍筛选相亲对象，多的时候每周都安排一场相亲 - Through family connections and dating sites, they screened potential matches for Xu Yan, sometimes arranging as many as one blind date per week. [1]

8. 彩礼 cǎi lǐ

bride price, betrothal gifts

一般聊几个月就会自然过渡到订婚、谈彩礼的流程 - After getting to know each other for a few months, things naturally transition into formal engagement and negotiations over the betrothal gifts. [1]

• Related:

  • 份子钱 fèn zi qián - wedding gift in the form of cash

9. 扎眼 zhā yǎn

eye-catching (in an awkward or glaring way), stand out

一个二十多岁不结婚的农村女孩在这里就显得很扎眼 - A rural girl in her twenties who isn’t married really doesn’t fit in here. [1]

• Related:

  • 扎心 zhā xīn - piercing to the heart, heartbreaking

10. 决绝 jué jué

resolute, decisive

不懂这孩子怎么会做出这么决绝的举动 - They don’t understand how their daughter could do something so radical. [4]

Three-character phrases

11. 煎熬感 jiān áo gǎn

feeling of torment, agony

那种煎熬感让人无法忍受 - That feeling of torment is unbearable. [2]

• Related:

  • 忍受 rěn shòu - to endure, to tolerate

12. 气不过 qì bú guò

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A new buzzword is taking off in China.

It started to emerge on social media feeds in late December, with young people sharing moments of enjoyment while eating alone — with a bowl of instant noodles, a slice of cake, a bubble tea from a street stall, or a plate of dumplings eaten at home.

The captions read like love notes. But there’s only one person involved, posting to themselves with the phrase: 爱你老己.

Translated directly, it means “love you” (爱你), “dear” (老) “me” (己).

After some discussion, we decided to translate this as “kudos to me”.

Like so many internet slang phrases, this one is adapted from online gaming slang. It started out as a famous line from the character, Sett, in League of Legends (英雄联盟):

“Love you, mom, see you tomorrow” (爱你老妈，明天见).

It evolved into a playful sign-off between players in the game.

The phrase first started to go viral in late November, in a video of a content creator peeling a pomelo (柚子) saying:

“I said I wanted to eat the pomelo but couldn’t be bothered to peel it.

After hearing that, I immediately peeled it and gave it to myself.

Kudos to me, and see you tomorrow.”

我说想吃柚子但不想剥，我自己听完马上给自己剥好送给自己了，爱你老己，明天见。

Since then, the phrase has taken off in a big way.

Within one month, topics related to “kudos to me, see you tomorrow” (爱你老己，明天见), and the shorter four-character version (爱你老己), accumulated well over 400 million views across Douyin, RedNote, and Kuaishou.

One internet user perfectly summarises the spirit of the phrase:

“My dear self is the only person who smiles as they spend money on me.

And the only person I know who, if 100 yuan is all they have, would spend it all on me.”

老己，是唯一一个笑着给我花钱的人，也是唯一一个身上有100块，就真的会给我花100块的人。

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Discussions in the Chinese media have focussed on explaining why it’s come about now. Saying it’s an emotional response to how many young people are feeling in China today.

It’s in contrast to other buzzwords we’ve discussed before in this newsletter, including phrases like “Buddhist-style” (佛系), “lying flat” (躺平), “small-town test taker” (小镇做题家), and “Kong Yiji literature” (孔乙己文学).

These phrases are reactions to difficulties people face in their lives, with a fatalism about their social reality and their inability to change it, as one analyst put it:

“These buzzwords point to a collective identity crisis among young people born in the 1990s and 2000s.

As they transition from school to the workforce, they are grappling with these existential questions:

Who am I? What is my place in society? How should I understand my relationship with this world?”

这些流行语所指向的，是一种带着集体意味的宏大焦虑。90后、00后们在离开校园，迈入社会的过程中，迷茫追问：我是谁？我在社会中处于什么位置？我该如何安放自己与这个世界的关系？

"Kudos to me" (爱你老己) is different: unlike those earlier slang terms, this one has a positive twist. It’s not complaining about the things people cant’t change; it’s emphasising self-care.

And it’s not the first phrase to lean into this sentiment, and is part of a recent trend of other similar self-care-based memes, including:

• “Brave little lamb” (勇敢小羊) — celebrating small acts of independence and self-reliance as young people learn to take care of themselves

• “This first cup, to myself” (第一杯，敬自己) — toasting and celebrating your own achievements first

• “How about it, what can you do anyway” (如何呢，又能怎) — finding peace by accepting what you can’t control

The emergence of these new memes indicates how some young people are shifting their attention from external pressures, which they can’t change, to focussing on their own well-being, which is in their control. And they are rejecting the traditional view of:

‘You must excel [at work or in education] to be valued’ (你足够优秀，才值得被爱)

It’s a change in mindset of a generation which is learning to be comfortable in their own company, with their place in the world, and to take better care of themselves with no conditions attached, just:

“Kudos to me. See you tomorrow.”

爱你老己，明天见。

So, is this phrase here to stay? I think it probably it…

And that’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 自嬷 zì mó

self-deprecating self-mockery, self-ridicule (often aimed to evoke compassion)

它将恶意消解为无害的自嬷 - It melts away malice by turning it into harmless self-mockery. [1]

• Note: relatively new internet slang

• Related:

  • 自嬷梗 zì mó gěng – self-mockery meme

  • 小羊 xiǎo yáng – internet slang from the anime “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf” that is used to provide self-encouragement; sometimes used to evoke compassion from others

  • 娇牛马文学 jiāo niú mǎ wén xué – “delicate workhorse” literature

  • 娇夫文学 jiāo fū wén xué – “delicate husband” literature, soft-male romance trope that flips the traditional narrative on its head

2. 富养 fù yǎng

to raise with abundance, to nurture generously

真正的“富养”，从来都不在于给小时候的自己补上多少玩具 - True “self-nurturing” has never been about making up for your childhood by buying all the toys you never had. [3]

• Related:

  • 养育 yǎng yù – to raise, to nurture

  • 重养 chóng yǎng – to re-parent, to raise again

3. 安抚 ān fǔ

to soothe, to comfort emotionally

是安抚那个一点小事就被训斥，变得小心翼翼的自己 - It’s an act of comforting your inner child, who grew up timid and fearful after being constantly reprimanded for the smallest mistakes. [1]

• Related:

  • 安慰 ān wèi – to comfort, to console

4. 横空出世 héng kōng chū shì

to burst onto the scene, to emerge suddenly and dramatically

自从“爱你老己”横空出世，互联网上负能量减少80% - Ever since the “kudos to me” trend exploded, burst onto the scene, internet toxicity has dropped by 80%. [1]

5. 爱你老己 ài nǐ lǎo jǐ

love ya, my dear self; kudos to me

传统的社会规训告诉我们“你足够优秀，才值得被爱”，而年轻人们通过“爱你老己”这一新叙事暗示自己：因为我存在，所以我值得 - Traditional social norms say ‘you must be good enough to deserve love’, but young people are reinventing the narrative using phrases like “kudos to me” to remind themselves: I deserve to be loved for who I am. [2]

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🎧RTM Podcast Preview

This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, we explain three confusing new internet slang phrases which you probably haven’t heard of before!.

• 自嬷 - self-deprecating self-mockery, self-ridicule (exaggerated, to win sympathy)

• 配得感 - sense of deserving, feeling worthy

• 爱你老己 - love ya, my dear self; kudos to me

Tune in at 7 minutes where we break down what they mean and the stories behind them…

How native speakers use them…

And how you can use them in real conversations right now and show off your amazing Chinese!

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Consuming the Conversation

💡 Ready to get inspired to bridge the gap to real-world fluency? 💡

In every RTM Advanced post you unlock content and tools to inspire you, and help you get fluent.

So, ready to finally get started and wave goodbye to that nagging rusty feeling?

Let’s jump in👇

Consuming the Conversation

Useful words

6. 哄 hǒng

to coax, to soothe

可能有些人觉得这样哄自己显得很低幼 - Some people may feel that comforting yourself this way seems childish. [2]

7. 通病 tōng bìng

common problem, widespread issue

不懂得好好爱自己，似乎不只是我们这代人的“通病” - Not knowing how to properly love oneself seems to be a common issue across generations. [3]

8. 刷屏 shuā píng

to flood the feed, to go viral

最近又一个梗在刷屏，照片上是朴素的吃的 - Recently, my feeds are flooded with another meme which features photos of simple food. [1]

9. 善待 shàn dài

to treat kindly, to be kind to

我们在内耗中越陷越深，忘了自己才是最该被善待的那个人 - As we become increasingly trapped in internal anxiety, we forget that we are the ones who deserve kindness the most. [3]

10. 委屈 wěi qū

to wrong oneself, to suppress one’s feelings

开始懂得尊重自己的感受，不再委屈自己 - You start to honour your own feelings and stop compromising your own happiness for the sake of others. [3]

11. 撒娇 sā jiāo

to act cute, to act affectionately

自己和自己撒娇，自己劝自己睡觉 - You act cute with yourself and coax yourself to go to sleep. [1]

12. 粗粝 cū lì

rough, unpolished

这样的称呼有些粗粝，但实在 - Calling yourself this way doesn’t sound that polished, but it is honest. [2]

Three-character phrases

13. 无条件 wú tiáo jiàn

unconditional, without conditions

“爱你老己”更全面，更无条件 - “Kudos to me” represents the full and unconditional acceptance of oneself. [1]

14. 避难所 bì nàn suǒ

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The Nanjing Museum has been a trending topic on Chinese social media feeds over the last week.

It’s one of China’s most prestigious cultural institutions. Referred to as Nanbo (南博) for short in Chinese, it is at the centre of a scandal involving missing national treasures, fake identities, and allegations of systematic theft spanning decades.

In late December, a whistleblower report from a retired museum employee circulated online, alleging that former director Xu Huping (徐湖平) orchestrated a scheme to steal thousands of national treasures by declaring them “fakes” (伪作) and then selling them through family-controlled channels for a profit.

Rumours soon swirled online that Xu had been arrested.

When contacted by media, Xu’s response was vague and raised further suspicions. In a video message from his home, he said:

“I’m already in my 80s, currently sick at home. After I retired in 2008, I stopped being involved in external affairs. I didn’t handle this matter, and I’m not an appraiser anyway.”

“我都80多岁了，现在生病在家，2008年退休之后，我就不参与外界的事了，这事也不是我经手的，我也不是鉴定家。”

So nothing to see here, apparently. But something in the video seemed off.

Sharp-eyed antiques enthusiasts noticed a number of precious cultural relics in the video background. These were items that, if authentic, would be worth a fortune, and should be in a museum.

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These recent events are linked to story which began in June this year, when a Ming Dynasty painting called Jiangnan Spring (江南春) appeared at a Beijing auction house with an estimated price of 88 million yuan ($12.1 million).

That painting had been donated to the Nanjing Museum decades ago by the family of one of China’s most celebrated and wealthy art collectors, Pang Laichen (庞莱臣). When he died in 1949, Pang left behind “treasures valuable enough to buy half of Shanghai” (足以买下半个上海的宝藏).

In 1959, having decided to stay on the Mainland rather than flee to Taiwan, where the Nationalists had transported thousands of imperial treasures from the Forbidden City, Pang's grandson Pang Zenghe (庞增和) and the family donated 137 pieces from the family collection to the Nanjing Museum. Among the donated works was Jiangnan Spring (江南春), a landscape painting by Ming Dynasty master painter, Qiu Ying (仇英).

Back to June 2025. When Pang family representative noticed the Jiangnan Spring at the Beijing auction house, he informed the auctioneer who removed it, then he contacted the Nanjing Museum and demanded an explanation. Days later, when Pang family representatives arrived at the museum, they discovered five paintings, including Jiangnan Spring, from the original collection of 137 were missing.

According to the Nanjing Museum, these five works had been appraised in 1961 and 1964, and declared “fakes” (伪作). In 1997, these five “fake” paintings were transferred to the Jiangsu Cultural Relics Store. And in 2001, according to store records, the Jiangnan Spring was sold for just 6,800 yuan. But the records listed the buyer only as “customer” (顾客), with no further details.

The numbers didn’t add up: a painting sold as worthless in 2001 for 6,800 yuan was now valued at 88 million yuan in 2025.

The whistleblower report outlined how the alleged scheme worked: former director, Xu Huping had the donated paintings appraised as forgeries, then sold them at extremely low prices to the Jiangsu Cultural Relics Store, where he served as legal representative. Subsequently, his son, who operates an auction house in Shanghai, resold these cultural relics at market prices domestically and internationally.

As the scandal unfolded, another name kept appearing: Xu Ying (徐莺). She had been claiming to be a “Pang family descendant” (庞莱臣后人) since 2014, having curated a Pang collection exhibition at the museum, with the endorsement of Xu Huping.

Xu Ying’s role in this alleged scheme remains unclear, but her fraudulent identity orchestrated by Xu Huping as a “Pang descendant” would have provided valuable cover. And the fact her family name is the same as the older Xu’s, is also suspicious.

The parallels to one of 2025's biggest scandals didn't go unnoticed: "Miss Dong" (董小姐), a trainee doctor who allegedly used family connections to secure a coveted medical training position. Social media users quickly dubbed Xu Ying "Nanjing Museum's Miss Dong" (南博董小姐), suggesting she similarly exploited family ties for career and financial gain.

The Nanjing Museum case exposes a fundamental problem in China’s cultural heritage system, as one observer put it:

“Once donated, the property rights of treasures are also transferred to the organisation they are donated to.

Although the museum legally had disposal rights, but legal doesn’t mean ethical.”

捐赠了，物权转移了，处置权在法理上或许没错，但于情错了。

So that’s what we’re exploring this week!

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Favourite Five

1. 赝品 yàn pǐn

fake, forgery

这5件藏品当年被鉴定是假货，是赝品 - These five works of art were authenticated as fakes and classified as forgeries at the time. [1]

• Related:

  • 伪作 wěi zuò – forgery

  • 假画 jiǎ huà – fake painting

2. 水很深 shuǐ hěn shēn

complicated, murky

原来以为文物单位是清清白白干干净净的，没想到也有这么深的水 - We thought museums were beyond reproach, but it turns out the waters run far deeper than expected. [1]

3. 浮出水面 fú chū shuǐ miàn

to surface, to come to light

昨天一个叫“徐莺”的女士渐渐浮出水面 - Yesterday, the name “Ms. Xu Ying” gradually came to light. [1]

• Related:

  • 水落石出 shuǐ luò shí chū - to come to light, to be revealed

  • 崭露头角 zhǎn lù tóu jiǎo - to emerge, to start standing out

4. 监守自盗 jiān shǒu zì dào

stealing from one’s own post, an inside job

郭礼典的指控，指向了一场系统性的、大规模的监守自盗 - Guo’s accusation pointed to inside jobs done systematically and at large scale. [2]

5. 近水楼台 jìn shuǐ lóu tái

to have an advantage due to proximity, to have easier access

她自己作为庞莱臣的“后人”，研究自家老祖宗的书画收藏，当然是近水楼台了 - As a descendant of Pang, she naturally has easier access to her own family’s collection of calligraphy and paintings. [1]

🎧RTM Podcast Preview

This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, we explain different words which mean “fake” in Chinese, including:

• “fake, forgery” - 赝品 (yàn pǐn)

• “forgery” - 伪作 (wěi zuò)

• “imitation” - 仿品 (fǎng pǐn)

Tune in at 7 minutes where we break down what they mean, how native speakers use them…

And how you can use them in real conversations right now and show off your amazing Chinese!

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Useful words

6. 蹊跷 qī qiao

suspicious, strange

一位庞莱臣的后人看到这幅画后觉得十分蹊跷 - A descendant of Pang Laichen found it very strange upon seeing the painting. [1]

7. 贱卖 jiàn mài

to sell cheaply, to dump at a low price

《江南春》转手后，以6800元的价格“贱卖”了 - After changing hands, “Jiangnan Spring” was sold for just 6,800 yuan. [1]

8. 国宝 guó bǎo

national treasure

是不是用这种方法偷偷把国宝变成私人财产 - Did they use this approach to secretly turn national treasures into private property？[1]

9. 高人 gāo rén

master, mastermind

回望她过去的时间线，才发现，徐莺的背后有“高人” - By retracing her career, it becomes clear that there was someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes. [1]

• Related:

  • 后人 hòu rén - descendant, later generation

10. 站台 zhàn tái

to publicly support, to endorse

他亲自到场为徐莺站台 - He personally showed up to endorse Xu Ying in public. [1]

11. 冒充 mào chōng

to impersonate, to pretend to be

徐莺冒充庞家人身份，这背后，都有徐湖平的手笔 - Xu Ying impersonated a member of the Pang family, and all of this was orchestrated by Xu Huping. [1]

Three-character phrases

12. 打太极 dǎ tài jí

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Every year at this time, we wrap up with our own “unofficial” list of top words and phrases.

These are expressions which probably didn’t exist a year ago, but have gone viral and become mainstream lingo over the last 12 months.

We’ve picked 12 phrases, and avoided overlap with last week’s “official” top ten lists.

Most of these phrases were newly invented or popularised in 2025. So if you haven’t been to China this year, you probably won’t know them.

And as always these phrases began life in the most unlikely places: from Japanese Manga to Taiwanese baseball; from American online games, to viral moments shared by Chinese students living in the UK.

As we pulled this list together, we noticed something interesting: That it’s full of contradictions.

According to these 12 phrases, and the trends they represent, it seems that for any one trend you can say is happening in China right now, you could also find another one which proves the exact opposite is true.

So we decided to explain our favourite phrases of 2025 through five contradictions.

Contradiction #1: Consumers are not buying, but are buying like crazy

In January, consumer confidence collapsed, with retail sales in Shanghai and Beijing declining steeply.

The broader trend of “consumption downgrading” (消费降级) began in 2024, with policymakers pushing for “rational consumption” (理性消费).

Yet 2025 also saw unbelievable and irrational sales success stories.

“Hard to get a Labubu” (一娃难求) became a trending phrase in June following the explosion of the Labubu (拉布布), an ugly-cute, kind-of-scary toy.

Other consumer successes included the move into flavoured beer by ice tea giant, Mixue Bingcheng (蜜雪冰城).

Contradiction #2: Businesses had an awful year, but a great year

In April, as the tariff war escalated, many of China’s exporters feared the worst: a “total wipeout” (团灭) of their sales.

China’s tech darling Xiaomi (小米) started the year strong with soaring EV sales, but by the end of the year faced a string of consumer backlashes.

While another EV brand, Neta (哪吒), battled collapse rumours at the start of the year, and outdoor brand, Arc’teryx, was boycotted after its disastrous “mind-blowing” (炸裂) exploding mountain PR stunt.

China’s big three ecommerce platforms — JD, Alibaba, and Meituan — continued in their “tripartite rivalry” (三足鼎立), each invading the others’ turf in a race to the bottom on price.

Yet 2025 also saw stunning business breakthroughs, such as when chipmaker Cambricon (寒武纪), fuelled by China’s “domestic substitution” (国产替代) push, surged from loss-making startup to briefly become China’s most valuable stock, surpassing liquor brand, Moutai (贵州茅台) in the process.

With investors coining a new phrase: “choosing chips over liquor” (喜芯厌酒).

Contradiction #3: Government policy was forward-thinking, but also backfired spectacularly

2025 was the year of “Embodied intelligence” (具身智能), after the government prioritised this technology in its Work Report in March.

The following month, Beijing hosted the world’s first “humanoid robot half marathon” (人形机器人半马). And in November, XPENG’s humanoid robot, IRON, stunned observers with its lifelike female form.

Also in March, the State Council announced measures to stamp out “involuted” work practices. And by April, some of China’s tech giants had responded with the introduction of “anti-involution” (反内卷) policies, which has been an ongoing theme throughout the year.

But other government policies backfired spectacularly.

Strict alcohol bans introduced for government officials were criticised as “bureaucratic overreach” (层层加码), the introduction of the K-visa (K签) aimed at attracting foreign talent was derided on social media as youth unemployment sat at 19%. Mosquito eradication efforts in Guangdong were criticised as “using a cannon to kill a fly” (高射炮打蚊子) following heavy-handed measures reminiscent of COVID.

And in Hangzhou, a water contamination scandal resurrected one of our top phrases from 2024 when locals blasted the city government as an “unprofessional team” (草台班子).

From the archive

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Contradiction #4: Youth are lying flat, but are fighting back

In August, we discussed a new phrase which had emerged: “rat people” (老鼠人).

It started when Chinese students in the UK began sharing “low-energy rat people” (低能量老鼠人) videos of their isolated lives enduring long, dark British winters. The meme took off as young people embraced “low energy” lifestyles.

But not all youngsters were taking it easy and giving up.

A Chery Auto (奇瑞) graduate employee went into “full confrontation mode” (贴脸开大) with his employer in August after refusing to work Saturdays, citing the government’s “anti-involution” (反内卷) directive.

And earlier in the year, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) faced “widespread condemnation” (千夫所指) after its tone-deaf PR campaign celebrated how it had received 1 million applications for just 8,000 graduate positions.

Contradiction #5: Influencers are out, but influencers are in

2025 saw established celebrities fall out of favour with their fans.

High profile entrepreneurs Lei Jun (雷军) and Jia Guolong (贾国龙), were branded “out-of-touch middle-aged men” (老登).

Meanwhile, unlikely viral stars emerged from the grassroots. Director Fang (房主任), a 50-year-old divorced housewife from Shandong, became one of China’s most-watched stand-up comics.

And a street vendor selling 6-yuan fried chicken cutlets in Jingdezhen (景德镇) became “Chicken Cutlet Brother” (鸡排哥) after a customer’s Douyin video of him cooking and serving customers went viral.

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Of course, some unchanging themes continued to draw attention in 2025 as in previous years.

Like the abuse of power and privilege by China’s “celestial dragons” (天龙人): the next generation of elites who “leverage family ties” (拼爹) for their own interests.

So, let’s dive in!

Our Favourite Phrases of 2025

1. Mind-blowing

炸裂 zhà liè

一个标榜户外精神的户外品牌，在最脆弱的生态环境里，搞了一场炸裂的烟花秀。

An outdoor brand that claims to embody the spirit of nature put on a “spectacular” fireworks show in one of the most fragile ecosystems.

Background:

Internet slang which started in Japanese baseball to describe explosive performance. It gained popularity in Taiwan baseball to describe spectacular moments. In Mainland Chinese it describes stunning and sudden success — such as the overtaking of Moutai by semi chip maker, Cambricon (寒武纪).

“Mind-blowing” can also be used as an ironic statement when something goes mind-blowingly wrong, like Arc’teryx’s disastrous fireworks PR stunt in the Himalayas in September.

Related RTM content:

• Chinese AI chip maker briefly overtakes Moutai to become China’s most valuable listed company

• How the Arc’teryx fireworks fiasco is being discussed in China

• One Yuan iced water becomes China’s viral summer sensation

2. Total wipeout

团灭 tuán miè

最坏的情况下，储能在美国的业务会被“团灭”。

In the worst-case scenario, the energy storage business in the U.S. will be totally wiped out.

Background

Started as a gaming phrase in team-based video games like World of Warcraft and League of Legends to describe total team wipe outs (all members dying together). It extended beyond gaming to describe collective failures in exams, work, or daily life.

We first came across it listening in to discussions between Chinese exporters in the face of US tariffs and the growing tariff war.

Related RTM content:

• China’s exporters are feeling the pain

• 10 hot internet slang words you had no idea came from online gaming!

3. Out-of-touch middle-aged man

老登 lǎo dēng

一连串的老登翻车，不能单纯用偶然和倒霉解释。

When one boomer after another messes up, it’s not just coincidence or bad luck anymore.

Background

Originally a northern slang phrase, and a derogatory term for an old man (something like the English, “old git”). It took off this year after a number of high profile, self-inflicted PR disasters of high profile, influential male entrepreneurs. The most notable is Xiaomi founder, Lei Jun (雷军).

You can use it to describe any middle aged man who is condescending and appears out of touch with reality.

Related RTM content

• China has a new slang word for “middle-aged men”

• Xiaomi’s self-inflicted PR flop

4. Hard to get a Labubu

一娃难求 yì wá nán qiú

火爆到“一娃难求”的LABUBU是泡泡玛特旗下“THE MONSTER”系列的一员。

Labubu is part of Pop Mart’s “THE MONSTER” series, which has become so popular that it’s impossible to get one.

Background

One of the craziest shopping trends of 2025 — the obsession with these tiny, ugly, key ring toys made by Chinese company, Pop Mart. Since early 2025, images of Labubu filled social media feeds and become a must-have item for millions of fans and collectors in China.

Expect to see more from the Labubu in 2026.

Related RTM content:

• Labubu are selling like hot cakes, and so are the fakes

5. “Chicken Cutlet Brother”

鸡排哥 jī pái gē

最近，景德镇有个卖鸡排的大哥突然爆火，还被广大网友封为“鸡排主理人”。

Recently, a man selling fried chicken in Jingdezhen suddenly went viral and was even dubbed the “chicken chop curator” by netizens.

Background

The “Chicken Cutlet Brother” (鸡排哥) story is one of our favourites from 2025. This 48-year-old overnight sensation is genuine, authentic, and unpolished - a refreshing change from the heavily curated content that dominated Chinese social media this year. His story echoes the “Second Uncle” (二舅) phenomenon we covered in 2022.

The sheer volume of memes and slang spawned by a single short video is staggering. Three phrases in China’s official top ten lists came directly from him. “Chicken Cutlet Brother” will likely become shorthand for authentic grassroots creators in 2026.

Related RTM content:

• Who is China’s Chicken Cutlet Brother”

• An old man plays a bad hand well and becomes viral sensation

6. Rat person

老鼠人 lǎo shǔ rén

今年以来，“低能量老鼠人的一天”系列短视频走红社交媒体，很多年轻人热衷于自我诊断为“低能量老鼠人”。

This year, the short video series “A Day in the Life of a Low-Energy Rat Person” went viral on social media, with many young people eager to self-diagnose as such.

Background

The phrase “rat people” (老鼠人) began gaining traction in early 2025. It evolved from an earlier internet meme, “rat literature” (鼠鼠文学), a buzzword that first emerged in early 2023. By 2025, a related phrase emerged on social media: “low-energy rat people” (低能量老鼠人). It was first popularized by Chinese students in the UK, enduring long, dark winters in isolation.

It’s now become a way young people describe their low energy lifestyles.

Related RTM content:

• There’s a new phrase in China’s “lie flat” movement

7. Over-privileged elite

天龙人 tiān lóng rén

这的确是中国“新天龙人”的普遍特点——他们是很真诚地认为，集众美于一身的人生赛道是理所应当的。

This indeed reflects a common trait of the next generation of the privileged in China—they genuinely believe that inheriting multiple forms of privilege is their birthright.”

Background

Originates from the Japanese manga, One Piece by Oda Eiichiro, referring to the descendants of twenty kings who founded the World Government. These characters enjoy extreme privileges, and consider themselves superior to ordinary people.

In Chinese online discourse, the term has evolved into internet slang to describe privileged elites in real life who are disconnected from ordinary people, who possess power and resources, live luxurious lives, and operate above the rules that govern everyone else.

Related RTM content:

• What China’s biggest medical scandal of 2025 reveals about the deeper flaws in its healthcare system

• Social media post ignites debate over wealth, privilege, and corruption

• China reacts to Harvard graduation speech

8. Consumption downgrade

消费降级 xiāo fèi jiàng jí

也只有走上消费降级，扩大食客基础的道路。

The only way out is to embrace the consumption downgrade and broaden their customer base.

Background

Emerged around 2018 in response to economic pressures like high housing costs and slowing income growth. The explosive rise of discount e-commerce platforms like PDD (拼多多) became a symbol of this shift. The phrase represents a reversal of China’s decades-long consumption upgrade trend.

This year we’ve seen a number of major trends which fit the “consumption downgrade trend” — including the collapse of consumer confidence in Beijing and Shanghai, and incredible success of low priced convenience products like “one yuan iced cup” by tea brand, Goodme (古茗).

Related RTM content

• Consumer confidence collapses in Beijing and Shanghai

• One Yuan iced water becomes China’s viral summer sensation

9. Full confrontation mode

贴脸开大 tiē liǎn kāi dà

一名00后奇瑞校招生李某凯“贴脸开大”，在收到公司周六开会的邮件后，直接回复拒绝，并且将邮件抄送公司高层，包括集团二把手。

Li, a Gen Z Chery campus recruit, chose to confront it head-on by saying no to the Saturday meeting in an email, in which he copied the company’s senior executives, including the group’s second-in-command.

Background

Started online gaming where it describes high-risk, high-reward move of rushing directly up to an enemy and unleashing your ultimate ability at point-blank range. The phrase has evolved into internet slang to describe being direct or blunt.

It’s similar to “bringing up exactly what shouldn’t be mentioned” or being brutally frank, often used with a teasing or mocking tone. Just like a graduate employee at Chery did this year when he refused to attend Saturday training and meetings.

Related RTM content:

• Graduate employee takes on Chery Auto and its overtime work culture

10. Choosing chips over liquor

喜芯厌酒 xǐ xīn yàn jiǔ

在资本市场「喜芯厌酒」情绪托举下，寒武纪摇身变新王。

Fueled by investor’s shift from liquor to chips, Cambricon is crowned the new king on the capital markets.

Background

A clever wordplay on the Chinese idiom “love the new, hate the old” (喜新厌旧), which is typically used to criticise disloyalty in relationships or fair-weather behaviour. The new version substitutes two characters while maintaining the original pronunciation: “new” (新 xīn) becomes “microchip” (芯 xīn), and “old” (旧 jiù) becomes “alcohol” (酒 jiǔ). This perfectly captures investor enthusiasm for semiconductor stocks like Cambricon while abandoning traditional alcohol companies like Moutai.

But the wordplay retains the original idiom’s critical edge, questioning whether Cambricon represents genuine long-term value or just another fleeting trend investors will abandon.

Related |RTM content:

• Chinese AI chip maker briefly overtakes Moutai to become China’s most valuable listed company

• EV maker unveils life-like humanoid robot

11. Using a cannon to kill a fly

高射炮打蚊子 gāo shè pào dǎ wén zi

重型机械来灭蚊，真有种高射炮打蚊子的既视感。

Heavy machinery for mosquitoes? Brilliant strategy, just like using a cannon to kill a fly.

Background

Literally “using anti-aircraft guns to kill mosquitoes”, which is a xiehouyu (歇后语), a traditional two-part allegorical saying where a vivid scenario delivers its punchline through absurd imagery. The phrase describes massively disproportionate responses to minor problems. While not coined in 2025, it became popular this year as commentary on heavy-handed government policies, particularly Guangdong’s extreme mosquito eradication campaigns.

It perfectly captures public frustration with bureaucratic overreach, when authorities deploy maximum force against minimal threats.

Related RTM content:

• Mosquito eradication efforts in Guangdong are going too far

• Hangzhou authorities mishandle tap water pollution incident

12. The beauty of an economic upturn

经济上行期的美 jīng jì shàng xíng qī de měi

最近刷到越来越多人开始怀念10年代经济上行期的美。

Lately, I’ve seen more and more people reminiscing online about the beauty of the economic upturn during the 2010s.

Read more

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We’ve all been there…

Deep into a Chinese conversation.

Feeling confident.

Speaking fluently. (Or at least fluently-ish)

Understanding virtually everything.

And even feeling like we’re “thinking” in Chinese.

That’s when those years of learning Mandarin feel worth it. Like it wasn’t a massive waste of time and effort.

But then….

Deep into your flowing conversation…. The person you’re talking to drops a phrase you’ve never heard of.

You stop. You’re Stuck. And you’re confused.

Worse still, everyone else in the convo is laughing at what was just said.

That phrase you didn’t “get” just happens to be the one thing you need to know to understand the rest of the conversation.

You half laugh, and pretend you know what’s going on.

But you know it: you’re totally lost! And your fragile confidence in Chinese takes yet another hit.

That’s why this newsletter exists. To teach you that language you’ll never learn in a textbook. But you absolutely need if you want to confidently navigate conversations in the Chinese speaking world today.

One big roadblock for us language learners is newly invented phrases — called neologisms (still can’t pronounce that word!)

In Chinese these newly coined phrases are often “internet slang words” (网络用语).

They begin life on social media as a “geng” (梗), or a meme. Some go viral to become “hot” phrases (网络热词). And a small number of them go mainstream as “buzzwords” (流行语), representing bigger cultural shifts and trends in China.

These buzzwords are just the kind of thing which will trip you up in conversations if you don’t know them.

So, when we see lists of the “10 Top Chinese Buzzwords”(十大流行语) of 2025 dropping…

We are all over them!

And that’s what this penultimate episode of RealTime Mandarin in 2025 is all about.

We’re looking at three end-of year lists published in December, by:

• Yaowen Jiaozi (咬文嚼字), a magazine covering the misuse and abuse of the Chinese language;

• Language and Character Weekly (语言文字周报), an online magazine focussed on language trends;

• And National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center (国家语言资源监测与研究中心), a research institute affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education.

In addition, our favourite Mainland business publication, 36Kr, did an analysis of some of the top trending terms in these lists, linking them to wider social trends in China this year, and added some more phrases into the mix. So we picked the best ones from that article too.

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The Yaowen Jiaozi list focusses more on official language and political propaganda. Its year-end list was widely covered in state media and seen as the “official” top ten. The Language and Character Weekly list looks more at genuine buzzwords. And the list by the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center, a state-run publication, seems to be largely out of touch with genuinely trending phrases.

So we’ve chosen the Language and Character Weekly list to feature in this issue. In the second part of the newsletter, we’ve listed another ten phrases from across the other two lists which have genuinely been trending phrases this year, giving you a total of 20 phrases to get stuck into.

There’s minimal overlap across the three lists. And only one phrase appears in all of them:

• “If A is basic, then B is not basic” (…基础，…不基础 bù jī chǔ).

This started as way fashion influencers commented on outfit combinations, and has since expanded into a way to joke about spending habits or lifestyle choices.

Of these 20 phrases, we’ve covered 11 in the last year of RealTime Mandarin. I’ve linked to those stories where relevant.

One news story stands out from this year: the Chicken Cutlet Bother (鸡排哥), an internet sensation we covered in October: the street vendor whose viral fame created three phrases in this top 20 list.

Of course, all these phrases originate online behind the Great Firewall so are subject to censorship and media control. Meaning they might not always resonate in real life in China.

So for each phrase we’ve given it a star rating for how useful it really is. Three star phrases are “essential”, two stars are “very useful”, and one star is for phrases which had a viral moment but haven’t yet gone mainstream.

And that’s also why next week, we’ll continue with our annual tradition of sharing our own “unofficial” list of our favourite phrases of the year — an independent take on what people are really talking about in the Chinese-speaking world, the phrases they use to discuss them, and the lingo you really need to know to not trip up in your Chinese conversations.

So stay tuned for that!

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China’s hottest Top Ten list of 2025

This is the top ten “hot” phrases of 2025 as Language and Character Weekly sees it.

1. “Brand curator”

主理人 zhǔ lǐ rén

最近，景德镇有个卖鸡排的大哥突然爆火，还被广大网友封为“鸡排主理人”。

Recently, a man selling fried chicken in Jingdezhen suddenly went viral and was even dubbed the “chicken chop curator” by netizens.

Background:

Meaning: Literally “chief operator”, the phrase originally referred to boutique brand owners or entrepreneurs who build strong personal online brands — polished influencers.

The concept emerged as a buzzword in 2024. It was one of the top internet buzzwords of that year, according to one list, but we only highlighted it as a minor phrase back then. The term exploded in 2025 when “Chicken Cutlet Brother”, a street vendor with no polish or script, went viral for his authentic, entertaining service, turning the polished “brand curator” concept on its head.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: Who is China’s “Chicken Cutlet Brother”?

2. “Black magic”

邪修 xié xiū

邪修的核心，是不按常理出牌，但能解决问题。

The essence of practicing “black magic” is doing things in a way that is unorthodox but effective.

Background:

Meaning: Originated from Chinese fantasy novels, meaning to achieve high levels of success through unorthodox means, and not following the normal path.

It’s now used to describe outrageous but highly effective ways for getting stuff done, by breaking conventional thinking or taking shortcuts. For example, “black-magic cooking” (邪修做饭), “black-magic food” (邪修美食).

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. “Demon Orb and Spirit Pearl”

魔丸&灵珠 mó wán & líng zhū

老板面前他是灵珠，背后吐槽时纯魔丸。

In front of the boss he’s all Spirit Pearl, but when complaining behind closed doors he’s pure Demon Orb.

Background:

Meaning: Originally from the 2019 animated film, Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child (哪吒之魔童降世). It exploded as a “hot” phrase in 2025 following the release of the sequel, Nezha: The Devil Child Wreaks Havoc in the Sea (哪吒之魔童闹海). It represents opposing yet unified forces.

“Demon orb and spirit pearl” are now a way to describe contrasting personal traits: “Demon Orb” (魔丸) is rebellious, unconventional, or defiant characteristics, while “Spirit Pearl” (灵珠) means obedient, gentle, and rational qualities.

Rating: ⭐️

Related RTM content: Ne Zha is no longer the audience favourite

4. “Upper class vibes”

高雅人士 gāo yǎ rén shì

内心已经崩了但表面还得优雅，标准高雅人士。

I’m screaming inside but have to maintain professional grace—that’s upper class vibes right there.

Background:

Meaning: As the phrase suggests, it refers to elegant, sophisticated people with refined taste. The term’s viral popularity began with an animation of a penguin by a Chinese blogger. The penguin has extravagant dance moves to thumping music, with the text: “refined person on inspection tour” (高雅人士视察中).

The ironic contrast made it an immediate internet sensation. As an internet slang, it now means “having external composure while emotionally on the verge of collapse”.

Rating: ⭐️

5. “I’ve got this”

做完你的做你的 zuò wán nǐ de zuò nǐ de

做完你的做你的……这种场面我还是在控制。

You first and you next... I’ve got this under control.

Background:

Meaning: This is another phrase which started with the a viral moment of “Chicken Cutlet Brother” (鸡排哥). In the original video, he tells queuing customers: “You first and you next... I’ve got this under control.” Cooking intensely, he maintains composure while frantically taking orders, preparing chicken cutlets, and cracking jokes all at once.

The phrase has evolved into a humorous way to describe high-pressure situations. It’s used self-mockingly to acknowledge being overwhelmed but still in control at work, school, or daily life.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: Who is China’s “Chicken Cutlet Brother”?

6. “Out of my depth”

误闯天家 wù chuǎng tiān jiā

刚入职就被拉去参加董事会，全是CEO和投资人，我全程不敢说话，纯属误闯天家。

I got pulled into a board meeting full of CEOs and investors on my first day. I didn’t dare to say a word the whole time. Felt totally out of my depth.

Background:

Meaning: Originally popularised through lyrics in a traditional Chinese song, the phrase went viral through short video remixes. Directly translated as “accidentally crashing the palace”, it describes stumbling into intimidating high-stakes settings and the awkwardness of being in a situation where you don’t belong.

It’s commonly used for self-deprecating jokes about the gap between expectations and reality, like landing a dream job only to realise you’re completely under-qualified and unprepared.

Rating: ⭐️

7. “If A is basic, then B is not basic”

... 基础 ，... 不基础 jī chǔ, bù jī chǔ

机票基础，酒店就不基础。

If I booked cheap flights, then I’d treat myself to luxury hotels.

Background:

Meaning: This phrase started out as a fashion influencer formula describing outfit coordination: “if the top is basic, the the bottom is not basic” (上身基础，下身就不基础) to explain mixing simple (“basic”) and statement (”not basic”) pieces.

It quickly evolved beyond fashion into a meme about life’s contradictions and survival strategies, describing the contrast between what people economise on versus what they splurge on. For example: “if savings are basic, then spending is not basic” or “if my income is basic, then my lifestyle is not basic.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

8. “Calm and composed vs. rushed and scrambling”

从从容容、游刃有余，匆匆忙忙、连滚带爬 cóng cóng róng róng, yóu rèn yǒu yú, cōng cōng máng máng, lián gǔn dài pá

本来应该从从容容游刃有余，现在是匆匆忙忙连滚带爬。

This was supposed to be smooth sailing, a walk in the park, but now it has turned into a mad scramble.

Background:

Meaning: This phrase originated from a Taiwanese legislator’s dramatic critique during a parliamentary inquiry. The phrase went viral in China after a mainland Chinese musician remixed it with the song, “Loser” (没出息).

It’s become a humorous way to acknowledge when things don’t go according to plan — the gap between ideal expectations and messy reality.

Rating: ⭐️

9. “Take it seriously”

当个事儿办 dāng ge shì’r bàn

这关乎本人“社恐脱敏”的进度，必须当个事儿办！

This is all about getting over my social anxiety, so I’ve got to take it seriously!

Background:

Meaning: This evolved from a Northern Chinese dialect. It gained traction through short video parodies on social media playing on generational differences, and then became a popular way to jokingly make a solemn commitment to do trivial things.

More recently, it became a positive motivational term for genuinely important personal goals.

Rating: ⭐️

10. “Group…”

拼好... pīn hǎo…

外卖平台上有一项”拼好饭”功能，即和附近的2-4人一起拼单，价格诱人。

A food delivery platform offers a “group takeout” feature where users can order together with 2-4 people nearby at enticing prices.

Background:

Meaning: Became popular this year as a group-buying model, “group takeout” (拼好饭), on Meituan, where customers in the same area ordered food in the same order to cut delivery costs.

It’s evolved into the formula “group buy…” (拼好...), for cost-effective or efficient solutions in daily life, such as “group tickets” (拼好票), or “group work” (拼好班) — sharing work responsibilities.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: Meituan “group take-out” boom signals shifting consumer habits

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Other important phrases

Here are another ten picked from the other two top ten lists, and the 36Kr article, which are useful, and relevant in 2025.

11. “Jiangsu Super”

苏超 sū chāo

苏超最打动人心的，还在那份草根的生命力。

What’s most moving about Jiangsu Super is its grassroots creativity.

Background:

Meaning: Jiangsu Super (苏超), short for “Jiangsu Super League” (江苏超级联赛), is an amateur football tournament which exploded in popularity in 2025. Teams represent 13 cities in Jiangsu Province.

The historical tensions between cities fuel intense but well-humoured matches, and has led to numerous viral memes.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: “Jiangsu Super” finally gives Chinese football fans something to cheer about

12. “Anime merch”

谷子 gǔ zi

为了买到自己喜欢的谷子，有人会选择「抱盒」，和买盲盒all in的道理是一样的 。

To get the merch they want, some people would buy the entire collection, which is equivalent to going all-in on blind boxes.

Background:

Meaning: This literally means “grain” or “millet”. In modern Chinese it’s a transliteration of the English word “goods” as it sounds similar (gǔ zi). Originally imported from a Japanese slang term, it refers to merchandise and collectibles in anime and gaming subcultures, like cards, posters, figurines, keychains, and other collectible merchandise.

As these subcultures have grown in popularity and entered the mainstream, this niche slang phrase has also become more widely used.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

13. “Embodied Intelligence”

具身智能 jù shēn zhì néng

小鹏如今官方的定位，已经从去年刚喊出来的”面向全球的AI汽车公司”升级为”面向全球的具身智能公司”。

XPENG’s official positioning has now been pivoted from last year’s “global AI car company” to “global embodied intelligence company”.

Background:

Meaning: Refers to AI systems in robotic form with the ability to perceive and interact with the real world. Originally imported from English, it traces back to Alan Turing’s 1950 paper, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”.

Since early 2025, the term has become increasingly mainstream as China has ramped up attention on this technology. The release of XPENG’s humanoid robot IRON in November brought this term into the national consciousness.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: EV maker unveils life-like humanoid robot

14. “Pre-Made...”

预制... yù zhì...

好久没吃西贝了，今天下飞机跟同事吃了一顿，发现几乎全都是预制菜，还那么贵，实在是太恶心了。希望国家尽早推动立法，强制饭馆注明是否用了预制菜。

I haven’t eaten at Xibei for ages. Today after getting off the plane, I had a meal there with colleagues and discovered almost everything was pre-made, and it’s so expensive too. It was really disgusting. I hope restaurants will soon be legally required to clearly indicate whether they use pre-made food or not.

Background:

Meaning: The phrase took off when influencer, entrepreneur, and comedian, Luo Yonghao (罗永浩), criticised Xibei (西贝) restaurant for its “pre-made dishes” (预制菜). That provoked an angry response from Xibei’s boss, Jia Guolong (贾国龙), and sparking nationwide debate about pre-made food in restaurants.

It’s now become widely used across various aspects of life, such as “pre-made relationships” (预制社交) for formulaic social interactions, “pre-made emotions” (预制情绪), for manufactured sentiment in media, and “pre-made experiences” (预制体验) for cookie-cutter tourism or entertainment that lacks genuine spontaneity.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: Restaurant chain under fire for over-priced meals; Video sharing platform censors Spring Festival Gala livestream

15. “Authentically human”

活人感 huó rén gǎn

2025年，网友不再迷信精致人设，转而拥抱有瑕疵的活人感。

In 2025, netizens no longer worship carefully curated personas. Instead, they are drawn to creators that appear authentic and imperfect.

Background:

Meaning: Literally translated as “living person vibes”, it refers to authentically human online content. It reflects a weariness with heavily curated online content like high production value, staged photos, scripted videos, and AI-generated posts flooding the Chinese internet.

Being “authentically human” represents what’s been lost in a lot of online content, and daily lives of many people: spontaneity, authenticity, vitality. The spark that separates the truly living from those who are merely existing and living unfulfilling lives.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: Who is China’s “Chicken Cutlet Brother”?

16. “Middle-aged man vibes”

登味 dēng wèi

登味翻车，脱离大众的“俯视感”终遭反噬。

Middle-aged man vibes backfired - being arrogant, condescending and out of touch finally sparked backlash.

Background:

Meaning: A recently coined phrase which combines two words describing problematic male behaviour: “out-of-touch middle-aged man” (老登) and “patronising“ or “dad-like tone” (爹味). The term laodeng (老登) gained popularity this year as a way to criticise men who are patronising and overbearing.

This phrase, “middle-aged man vibes” (登味), captures the essence of that behaviour: that combination of arrogance, disconnection from reality, and outdated attitudes typical of successful but out-of-touch middle-aged men, such as entrepreneurs like Lei Jun (雷军).

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: China has a new slang word for “middle-aged men”

17. “The era of middle-aged women”

中女时代 zhōng nǚ shí dài

社交平台上，中女时代的相关视频和话题浏览量居高不下。

On social media platforms, videos and hashtags related to “the era of middle-aged women” have consistently drawn huge views.

Background:

Related: One social media trend in 2025 has seen the celebration of women aged 30-55, breaking away from the old stereotypes of women like the “virtuous wife and mother”. It’s especially pushing back on the idea of age anxiety and social pressure on women once they’ve hit 30.

Content showcases economic independence, career breakthroughs, and self-reinvention. Stand-up comic “Director Fang (房主任) is one of the most high profile success stories of “the era of middle-aged women” this year.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: China’s unexpected stand-up comedy star

18. “Emotional value”

情绪价值 qíng xù jià zhí

6块钱的鸡排，吃出60块钱的情绪价值，600块钱的服务质量。

A 6-yuan chicken chop delivers 60 yuan worth of emotional value and 600 yuan worth of service.

Background:

Meaning: Originally marketing terminology used to measure “emotional ledger” of customers when they buy. Its usage has expanded from the commercial realm into interpersonal relationships, workplace dynamics, and daily life.

It’s used to describe that intangible feel-good factor consumers get when thy buy a product or a service. Just like “Chicken Cutlet Brother” did earlier this year.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Related RTM content: Who is China’s “Chicken Cutlet Brother”?

19. “Village café”

村咖 cūn kā

疫情刚解封时，城市网红咖啡突然不再受宠，越来越多的人开始去周边乡村解锁新玩法——”村咖”。

Right after the lockdowns ended, trendy urban cafés suddenly fell out of favour. More and more people started exploring new experiences in nearby villages, which gave rise to the village cafés.

Background:

Meaning: This is a trend we’ve been following closely this year, but haven’t written about yet. As the phrase suggests, “village cafés” are specialty coffee shops in rural villages in China. Places like Anji in Zhejiang have become famous for their “village cafés” which attracts visitors who came for the coffee, and of course the selfies for social media (打卡).

We’re likely to see this trend continue into 2026 as more people look to the countryside to escape from the pressures of city life.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

20. “Micro-drama” / “Short drama”

短剧 duǎn jù

短剧出海爆发：2025年前8月海外收入达15.25亿美元，同比激增194.9%。

Micro dramas go global: in the first 8 months of 2025, overseas revenue reached $1.525 billion USD, up 194.9% from last year.

Background:

Meaning: This is another trend we’ve been watching this year. Micro dramas are ultra-short episodic dramas (typically 1-3 minutes per episode) which exploded on Chinese social media in 2024-2025. Content evolved from trashy quick entertainment to premium productions with realistic themes exploring middle-aged marriage struggles, family dynamics, and workplace conflicts.

Major platforms like iQiyi, Tencent, and Mango TV made short dramas a core part of their business the domestic market, some with multi-million dollar budgets. While Chinese-backed apps like ReelShort and DramaBox are bringing the format to international markets. Another trend to watch in 2026!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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