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2021 top ten internet terms in China, released
Source: | Author:QS | Published time: 2021-12-17 | 967 Views | Share:

The top ten internet terms of 2021 were released by the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center on December 6th, 2021. 


The terms of the year are: the awakening age, YYDS, double reduction, breaking the defense, Metaverse, too great, too good, lying flat, not very harmful but highly insulting, I can’t understand, but I was shocked powerful state. 


Below is a breakdown of the Top Ten Internet Terms of 2021. 


1.The awakening age (觉醒年代)

Chinese TV drama The Awakening Age explores the founding process of the Communist Party of China in 1921, narrating how Chinese people chose the Communist Party of China. The show was widely acclaimed and is currently used to teach party history and China’s revolutionary history to China’s youth. 


 


2. YYDS (永远的神)


The pinyin abbreviation of ‘永远的神’ (eternal god)is used to express the admiration of an individual. The term rose to prominence during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer, following events such as Yang Qian winning the first gold medal of the year’s Olympics for the 10-meter air rifle final, and Quan Hongchan’s three full points for diving.


 


3. Double reduction (双减)


Double reduction refers to further reducing students’ homework and off-campus tutoring, following the government crackdown on private tutoring in July this year. 


4. Breaking the defense (破防)

The term was initially used in video games to refer to breaking through the opponent’s defense and causing the opponent to lose their defensive ability. This year, the term has been used to describe when an individual becomes emotionally shocked upon encountering new information, has their heart touched, and their psychological defense becomes broken. 


5. Metaverse (元宇宙)

Following Facebook’s announcement that it was changing its name to ‘Meta’, netizens in China searched its new prospects and offerings i.e. AI (artificial intelligence) and blockchain. 


 


6. Too great, too good (太绝了、太好了)

The term is mainly used for compliments, meaning ‘too great, too good'. 


7. Lying flat (躺平)

Lying flat refers to when people face pressure and actively give up and lie there. Therefore, lying flat is more akin to a means of decompression and adjustment for today’s young adults in China. 


 


8. Not very harmful but highly insulting (伤害性不高,侮辱性极强)

In an online video, two men were picking food, while a woman at the same table appeared to be very lonely. Some netizens, therefore, ridiculed the scenario as ‘not very harmful, but extremely insulting’. The term was then later used by netizens to mock something embarrassing. 


9. I can’t understand, but I was shocked (我看不懂,但我大受震撼)

The term originated from Ang Lee’s comment on the 2013 documentary Trespassing Bergman. The term is now used to express one’s confusion and shock about something. 


10. Powerful state (强国有我) 

The term originates from the solemn oath of students at the Tianmen Square celebration of the founding of the Party. The oath demonstrates Chinese youth's ambition, backbone, and confidence in the new era.



Sources: globaltimes.cn, sn.news.163.com. 


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