China 101
Internet slang starter pack
The words you will see in every comment section - burnout, opting out, and the memes in between.
Neijuan (involution)
内卷
Involution: the sensation of ever-intensifying competition that produces no real progress, the defining buzzword of overworked young China since 2020.
Tang ping (lying flat)
躺平
Lying flat: the viral philosophy of opting out of the rat race by doing the minimum, rejecting overwork, mortgage, and status competition.
996 work culture
996
The schedule of working 9am to 9pm, six days a week, once celebrated by some tech founders and now a byword for overwork in China's internet industry.
Geng (memes and inside jokes)
梗
The Chinese internet's word for memes: viral jokes, catchphrases, and references that cycle through social media at high speed and act as cultural shorthand.
Biaoqingbao (stickers and meme images)
表情包
The reaction images, stickers, and meme pictures that Chinese chat users deploy as a rich parallel language in daily messaging.
Wanghong (internet celebrities)
网红
Internet-famous people, places, or products in China: the influencer class and the influencer-economy infrastructure that turns online fame into sales.