5 viral Chinese buzzwords sweeping the internet this spring

Posted 2021-04-28 TimeOutShanghai

Photograph: Rodion Kutsaev via Unsplash

Cherry freedom, toxic chicken soup and behind bars kind of love affairs. They've all crossed the lips and keyboards of China's netizens this spring, but what do these viral phrases even mean and where did they even come from? Here we break down five internet phrases that have been buzzing this season.

1. Cherry freedom 

(车厘子自由)

via GIPHY

Imported cherries, which sell for around 130RMB per kilo, have become a new indicator of financial success for young professionals. The term ‘cherry freedom’ was first seen in a short video called ‘15 stages of a woman’s financial independence’, which ranked different levels of financial freedom, from being comfortable buying a milk tea to be able to afford an apartment. 

The terms was then popularised by a WeChat post titled ‘Aged 26, salary 10,000, still can’t afford cherries’. Both inspired a public discussion among netizens, debating whether cherry freedom was an indicator of rising living costs or instead a celebration of increasing living standards. 

2. Toxic chicken soup 

(毒鸡汤)

Photograph: Eiliv-Sonas Aceron via Unsplash

Contrary to jitang (chicken soup, or comforting words of wisdom written to cheer you up), dujitang, are messages conveying old-fashioned ideology, giving outdated advice or spreading negative feelings. The suspension (and ultimately, shut down) of hugely successful WeChat account Mimeng brought out fierce discussion on what constitutes toxic chicken soup. 

The controversy all started when a piece about a corrupt and materialistic protagonist coming to terms with the death of a more principled classmate, was published by an associated account and then was discovered to be fictional. The piece, despite being beautifully written and thought-provocative, was soon called out as shallow clickbait. 

3. What the heck is Zhiwang? 

(知网是什么东西)

 Photograph: @凤凰网娱乐 via Weibo

Turns out that the newest way to fall off the throne of stardom is academic fraudulence. And no one’s been unluckier than Zhai Tianlin, a popular actor with a PhD from Beijing Film Academy. Recently, Zhai posted his appointment letter as a post-doctoral researcher at Peking University on Weibo. His academic persona didn’t last long, however, when he let it slip that he had no clue what popular academic database Zhiwang was. Zhai’s career in academia might be over for now, and ‘What the heck is Zhiwang?’ has come out of the whole mess as a cautionary word of advice along the lines of ‘don’t be a phony, the net will catch you.’

4. Want a behind bars kind of love affair? 

(谈恋爱吗，要坐牢的那种)

Image: @鱼的摄影生活 via Weibo

Over the years, actor Wu Xiubo has generated a huge fan base after portraying sweet and caring boyfriends in many of his roles. There have been rumours regarding Wu’s promiscuous private life for a while, but nothing with enough power to endanger the actor’s career until this January when singer/actress Chen Yulin made her love affair with Wu public over WeChat. Ultimately, Chen was charged with slander and blackmail, and was soon arrested, her upset parents posting letters and chat history between their daughter and Wu via her account. Unsympathetic to Wu and Chen’s situation (because it’s the internet after all), a meme began circling, making jokes about Wu’s decision to get his mistress arrested. 

5. Did you get stabbed by Wu’s anxiety? 

(你被吴昕的成长焦虑戳中没)

Image: @微V笑娟 via Weibo, courtesy Hunan TV

TV is not reality, but that doesn’t mean it can’t stir up some very real emotions. Recently a participant on hit reality show My Little One, television host Wu Xin gave a heartfelt confession on career, health and love losses that resonated with viewers. Although the show’s been slammed for reinforcing outdated gender roles, Wu’s story struck a nerve, with lots of people joking online that they were are stabbed by Wu’s anxiety like a sword piercing their single, millennial hearts.

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