Navigating life with humour: The role of Chinese internet buzzwords

¡°Shall we go on a special forces style trip (ÌØÖÖ±øʽÂÃÓÎte zhong bing shi lu you)?¡± My sister playfully suggested over WeChat as we discussed plans for the upcoming holiday.

¡°What is that?¡± I was totally confused by the term and turned to the internet for answers. I discovered that ¡°special forces style trip¡± is a new internet buzzword which describes an exhaustingly paced trip packed with activities, akin to a military mission in terms of intensity.

¡°No way!¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯d rather survive this holiday at a slower pace.¡±

Despite being a member of the Chinese internet community, I often find myself struggling to keep up with the new buzzwords which rapidly emerge on the internet and infiltrate our daily lives. I started to wonder: Why do we keep coming up with these new buzzwords?

To find out the answer, I consulted Dr Yanning Huang, Associate Professor from the Department of Media and Communication at Xi¡¯an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), China.

He said that trendy internet buzzwords are often created and used by young urbanites.

¡°The Chinese internet is largely driven by young urbanites,¡± Dr Huang said. ¡°Most of them are well-educated and media-savvy, but they often struggle to find meaning in their lives.¡±

¡°Humour becomes a way to cope with these existential dilemmas. Young urbanites are playful with their language, which is reflected in the buzzwords they use. These words are usually ironic and self-deprecating.¡±

Reflecting on the buzzword ¡°special forces style trip¡±, I see how it humorously reflects the lifestyle and values of young Chinese urbanites. Often used by university students and young employees, it metaphorically captures their intense, budget-conscious travel experiences.

Many young people, constrained by limited free time and financial resources, can only afford to travel on weekends. Despite these limitations, they aim to pack in as many tourist attractions and cultural experiences as possible, which shows their desire to fully embrace and enjoy their brief escapes.

Credit: Yingyi Zhang

Dr Huang also pointed out that the creation and dissemination of these buzzwords are closely related to young people¡¯s postmodern lifestyle.

He explained: ¡°In defining postmodernity, we could say it represents a rejection of the modern mindset, which is based on the belief that society is always progressing, that we are moving towards a better life, and that we should have faith in science and rationality.¡±

¡°The younger generation often challenges these values and questions the existence of an ultimate truth because there seems to be so many possibilities to play with the truth, as we are saturated with diverse and often contradictory information from digital media.

¡°Therefore, they tend to be less serious with their lives. Instead, they engage with life in a playful, satirical, and ironic manner and often deprecate and mock themselves using buzzwords.

¡°I would say this postmodern mindset is embedded within the subculture of Chinese buzzwords,¡± Dr Huang said.

It reminds me of the internet slang ¡°the smell of work (°àζban wei)¡±, which I came across on Xiaohongshu, a popular Chinese social media platform. The term describes the typical state of today¡¯s office workers, often characterised by visible fatigue and discontent in their appearance.

Some people post photos comparing their student days to their working life and comment that they now have ¡°the smell of work¡± on them.

¡°The smell of work¡± is often represented by ¡°disgusting outfit for work (ÉÏ°à¶ñÐÄ´©´îshang ban e xin chuan da)¡±, a buzzword describing casual and unflattering work outfits.

These terms resonate with the buzzword ¡°corporate slave (ÉçÐóshe chu)¡±, which in Chinese is made up of two characters: one meaning ¡°society¡± and the other ¡°livestock¡±. This slang word describes those who feel they labour ceaselessly for their employers, like farm animals. Likewise, some people use the phrase ¡°cattle and horses (Å£Âíniu ma)¡± to convey a similar sentiment.

The rise of these self-deprecating terms may stem from young workers feeling overwhelmed by job pressures and a lack of enthusiasm for work, which not only diminishes their motivation to dress up elaborately for the office but also leaves them feeling exhausted. It serves as a self-mocking way to complain about the lack of control over people¡¯s work-life balance due to societal pressures.

When I discussed internet slang words with my friend Bingyan Lu, a BA Media and Communication student in her final year, she explained this phenomenon from a young netizen¡¯s perspective.

She said: ¡°I often use buzzwords when chatting with my friends, particularly to ridicule troublesome real-life situations we encounter.

¡°It is a way for young people like us to uniquely convey our feelings and stay on trend. They allow me to express my current mental state and share my emotions more openly.¡±

Lu further noted that the use of this shared language can develop a connection among young people: ¡°Using these terms simplifies the expression of feelings, making communication smoother since we all understand their meanings. This shared understanding not only eases our interactions but also fosters a sense of closeness among us.¡±

As language continuously evolves, it serves as a mirror reflecting the characteristics and values of a generation. In today¡¯s society, where pressures abound in every facet of life, buzzwords have emerged as a new mode of expression centred around humour.

Psychiatrist George Eman Vaillant describes humour as a mature defence mechanism which operates unconsciously to help individuals cope with anxiety arising from both internal conflicts and external pressures. In this context, humorous internet slang has become a key tool for those in the postmodern era to navigate life¡¯s challenges.

This playful language binds us in shared laughter and understanding. It not only offers a creative outlet but also reassures us that there is always a way out.