Work & Burnout
躺平
tǎng píng
In English
lying flat / quiet quitting, life edition
Illustration
coming soon
Classic · Mainstream, still used dailyliterally: lie flat
What does 躺平 mean?
Opting out of the grind — refusing to overwork, over-compete, or chase society's expectations. A quiet protest against 内卷.
Character breakdown
躺tǎng
to lie down
平píng
flat; level
Hear it explained
Short audio explainer coming soon.
Example
卷不动了，我选择躺平。
Juǎn bù dòng le, wǒ xuǎnzé tǎng píng.
I can't keep grinding — I'm choosing to lie flat.
What 躺平 goes with
彻底躺平chèdǐ tǎngpíngfully checked out
躺平族tǎngpíng zúthe lying-flat crowd
躺不平tǎng bù píngcan't even afford to give up
Where 躺平 comes from
A 2021 viral post "躺平即是正义" (Lying flat is justice) argued doing the bare minimum is a valid choice. It became a generational rallying cry.