REAL INTERNET CHINESE
to roll inward
everyone competing harder and harder while nobody actually gets ahead
- Who can you say it to?
- Safe with anyone Fine at work, fine with your partner's parents.
- Out loud, or only typed?
- Say it or type it Works out loud and in chat.
- Is it still used?
- Settled in Past the fad stage, part of everyday speech.
When to say it
Say it when coworkers stay late just to look busy, or parents sign kids up for five tutoring classes because everyone else did. Tired, ironic, a little sympathetic. Works for your office, your school, or a whole industry gone mad.
Hear it in the wild
Zhège hángyè nèijuǎn tài yánzhòng le.
This industry is brutally over-competitive.
Bié nèijuǎn le, xiàbān qù chīfàn ba.
Stop grinding for nothing, let's go eat.
Quick answers
What does 内卷 mean?
everyone competing harder and harder while nobody actually gets ahead
When do people say 内卷?
Say it when coworkers stay late just to look busy, or parents sign kids up for five tutoring classes because everyone else did. Tired, ironic, a little sympathetic. Works for your office, your school, or a whole industry gone mad.
When should you not say 内卷?
Fine for complaining about your own job or school, but don't aim it at someone who is genuinely working hard, that stings.
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