What does 内卷 (neijuan) mean?

内卷 (nèi juǎn) describes intense, pointless competition where everyone works harder for the same or fewer rewards — the rat race. It started as an academic term and now describes school, work, and daily life. See its full entry below.

What is the difference between 躺平 and 摆烂?

躺平 (tǎng píng, "lying flat") is opting out calmly — refusing to over-compete and choosing a low-pressure life. 摆烂 (bǎi làn, "letting it rot") is more resigned — deliberately doing the bare minimum because trying feels pointless. Both push back on 内卷.

Is this workplace slang safe to use at work?

With peers, yes — these words are how young colleagues bond over shared pressure. Avoid them with a boss or in formal reviews; joking that you are 摸鱼 (slacking) to your manager lands differently than saying it to a friend.

Chinese Slang

Chinese Work & Burnout Slang

No corner of modern Chinese slang says more about how young people feel than the vocabulary of work and burnout. 内卷 (the rat race), 躺平 (lying flat), 摸鱼 (slacking on the clock), 摆烂 (letting it rot), and 打工人 (wage grunt) started online and became a whole way of describing life under pressure.

Haoshan Hong

Founder of Fluentide · Native Mandarin speaker · Incoming Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University

Updated June 2026

What is Chinese Work & Burnout Slang?