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China slang
'Involution' — exhausting, pointless over-competition where everyone works harder but nobody gets ahead
Safe to use?
Usually safest with people who already understand the context.
Tone
Casual and context-dependent.
Region
China
Formality
Semi-informal; still use judgment.
Context Decoder
Check what it means in context, how it sounds and whether it is safe to use.
nei juan (内卷) means 'Involution' — exhausting, pointless over-competition where everyone works harder but nobody gets ahead. It is best read as china slang associated with China.
"nei juan (内卷)" means 'Involution' — exhausting, pointless over-competition where everyone works harder but nobody gets ahead. In China, the nuance may be more specific.
"Everyone's staying till 11pm now — the office is so 内卷."
Casual and context-dependent.
Usually safest with people who already understand the context.
Context-dependent
'I love you' in Chinese number slang; 20 May is an unofficial online Valentine's Day
'Awesome', 'skilful', 'smooth' — hype in comments and livestreams
'Let it rot' — giving up and embracing a bad situation instead of fixing it
'Absolutely amazing' (or absolutely terrible, used sarcastically)
'Touching fish' — slacking off at work or school while looking busy
'Ox and horse' — self-mocking term for overworked employees who toil like beasts of burden
Academic term that went viral on Chinese social media around 2020 and remains a defining word for school and work culture.
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