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]
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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]
