REAL INTERNET CHINESE
to play with a meme
quoting or riffing on a running joke that everyone online already knows
- Who can you say it to?
- Friends and coworkers Normal among people your own age. Skip it with elders, clients and officials.
- 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 someone drops a famous line mid conversation, or a brand awkwardly squeezes a meme into an ad. Amused when friends do it, judgmental when corporations do.
Hear it in the wild
Tā liáotiān tèbié xǐhuān wán gěng.
He loves dropping memes into conversation.
Zhè guǎnggào wán gěng wán de hěn zìrán.
This ad actually plays the meme naturally.
Quick answers
What does 玩梗 mean?
quoting or riffing on a running joke that everyone online already knows
When do people say 玩梗?
Say it when someone drops a famous line mid conversation, or a brand awkwardly squeezes a meme into an ad. Amused when friends do it, judgmental when corporations do.
When should you not say 玩梗?
Playing a meme at the wrong moment, a funeral, a layoff meeting, makes you the person who cannot read a room.
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