Work & Burnout
摸鱼
mō yú
In English
to slack off / goof off at work
Illustration
coming soon
Classic · Mainstream, still used dailyliterally: to grope for fish
What does 摸鱼 mean?
Slacking off on the clock — looking busy while doing nothing. The daily resistance of the 打工人.
Character breakdown
摸mō
to grope / feel around for
鱼yú
fish
Hear it explained
Short audio explainer coming soon.
Example
老板不在，赶紧摸鱼。
Lǎobǎn bù zài, gǎnjǐn mō yú.
The boss is out — quick, time to slack off.
What 摸鱼 goes with
上班摸鱼shàngbān mōyúslack off at work
带薪摸鱼dàixīn mōyúpaid slacking
摸鱼时间mōyú shíjiānslacking time
Where 摸鱼 comes from
From the idiom 浑水摸鱼 (to fish in troubled waters). Office workers clipped it to 摸鱼 for quietly slacking while appearing productive.