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 disastrous
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 marathon. 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.
For example, 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
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 online backlash 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.
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
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:
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
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:
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:
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:
