Slang of the Week
“Love you, dear self”
爱你老己 (ài nǐ lǎo jǐ) — what it means, where it comes from, and how to use it
“Love you, dear self”
What it means
- “Love you” (爱你 ài nǐ), exactly what it looks like.
- “Dear self” (老己 lǎo jǐ), a playful invented word. The prefix “old” (老) is the affectionate “dear” or “old” used in words like “dear mum” (老妈), attached to “self” (己) — creating a dialect-sounding way of talking about yourself as if you were a beloved member of your own family.
So “love you, dear self” (爱你老己) is what you say after doing something small and kind for yourself.
In English it means: “kudos to me”. And it usually comes with a sign-off: “see you tomorrow” (明天见).
Where it comes from
This phrase comes from the game League of Legends (英雄联盟), and is a famous line spoken by the character Sett: “love you, mum, see you tomorrow” (爱你老妈，明天见). It evolved into a playful sign-off between players.
Then netizens made one small edit — swapping “mum” (老妈) for “dear self” (老己) — and gave the line a whole new life.
It took off on Douyin between late November and early December 2025, after a creator filmed herself peeling a pomelo she had almost given up on:
“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。
The phrase settled into a fixed form: a caption or comment on some small thing you’ve done for yourself, like ordering an extra bubble tea. One popular variation captures the spirit:
“My dear self is the only person who, if they have 100 yuan on them, will actually spend all 100 yuan on me.”
老己是唯一一个身上有100块，真的会给我花100块的人。
There’s something deeper underneath the jokes. As one widely shared piece of commentary put it:
“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.”
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。
It was named one of the ten youth buzzwords of 2025 in December.
Within weeks of the pomelo video, the phrase had racked up over 880 million views online, and brands began signing off their marketing with it. More unusually, official youth media also picked it up, with one commentary calling the trend “a footnote to young people learning self-care” (青年探索自我关怀的成长注脚). It’s rare for a slang phrase to be embraced by netizens, brands, and state-adjacent media all at once — some called it the warmest internet trend of the year.
How to use it
“Kudos to me” (爱你老己) is used after doing something small and kind for yourself, or to steady yourself after a setback.
It works out loud, but it’s most at home as a caption.
Treating yourself:
“Bought myself the good bubble tea. Kudos to me. See you tomorrow.”
给自己买了贵的奶茶，爱你老己，明天见。
After a setback:
“Didn’t get the job. Ordered my favourite dinner anyway. Kudos to me, see you tomorrow.”
面试没过，还是点了最爱吃的晚饭。爱你老己，明天见。
As a caption, eating alone:
“Cooked a proper dinner tonight, just for me. Kudos to me, see you tomorrow.”
今晚认真给自己做了一顿饭，爱你老己，明天见。
Now it’s your turn
What’s one small thing you did for your dear self this week? Fill in the blank:
今天我给老己＿＿了，爱你老己，明天见。
(“Today I ＿＿ for my dear self. Kudos to me, see you tomorrow.”)
Make a sentence and hit reply to this email — I look at every response!
And try it in a real conversation this week.