9 buzzwords that took over the Chinese internet in 2018

Photograph: @爱奇艺偶像练习生 via Weibo

Skr, Peppa Pig, xiao nai gou (literally 'little milk dog'). They've all had their moment in the sun with China's netizens over the past year, but what do they even mean and where did they all come from? Here we break down nine phrases that went viral over 2018.

Wear a Peppa Pig tattoo, join the club of shehuiren (gangsters) 

Xiao zhu pei qi shenshang wen, zhangsheng song gei shehuiren 小猪佩奇身上纹，掌声送给社会人

Photograph: @一生俯首学六学 via Weibo

It was around April 2018 that people began to use this phrase when – despite the mind-boggling reasons for its huge popularity – this pre-school age pig became a subculture icon. The re-appropriation of the character to focus on some of her major flaws – she's jealous, greedy and selfish just to name a few – can be interpreted as a way that young Chinese push against a mainstream culture that emphasises unity and harmony.

Milky puppy and little wolf dog

Xiao nai gou, xiao lang gou 小奶狗，小狼狗

Photograph: @郑州大学学生汇 via Weibo

You haven't even fully grasped the meaning of 'little fresh meat' (小鲜肉) yet – which essentially means cute young male idols – and this year you have to add two canines to your internet slang glossary. Both used to describe cute male pop stars, the considerate and sweet types are 'milky puppies' while the cool and domineering ones are 'little wolf dogs'. Used predominantly by teenage girls in describing their idols to show affection and adoration – although, they saw some criticism, accused of labelling men as dogs.

Steel Iron Straight Man

Gangtie zhi nan 钢铁直男

Photograph: @IYAUHIY via Weibo

Steel Iron Straight Man is a man (doesn't actually matter where he's at on the sexuality spectrum) who fails to interpret his partners' emotional needs. You may as well be talking to a wall. He's too cool for emotions, too cool for reading between any lines.

C Position 

C wei C位

Photograph: @爱奇艺偶像练习生 via Weibo

Popularised by reality TV show Idol Producer, a music competition show that auditioned young male singers for a pop band, 'C' stands for the English word centre or core. The person who stands in C position is the most valuable member – either talent-wise or publicity-wise (more fans attract more investment).

Skr

Photograph: @Mr_凡先生 via Weibo

One you've probably heard, Skr went viral when idol-turned-rapper Kris Wu, asked to comment on contestants performances in hit reality show The Rap of China, uttered something like 'skr'. With a little help from Wu, skr was soon adopted by netizens. Although some believe that the word was a misspelled 'skrt' – the sound of wheels skidding on asphalt – the creative Chinese netizens use skr by swapping it in for Chinese words that sound similar, like: 'Ni skr sha zi' ('you're an idiot', replacing shi ge 是个) or ‘fan skr ren’ ('freaking annoying', replacing si ge 死个).

Foxi (Buddhist)

佛系

via GIPHY

This buzzword went viral after an article came out commenting on the 'zen' nature of post-'90s generations (read it in Chinese here). Being foxi (said 'foo-shee') in this context is less about reciting sutras and practising abstinence, foxi entails more of an easygoing approach to life – one where people try to avoid anger or cynicism. The foxi passenger walks a few extra metres to find their Didi driver (even in the rain); foxi friends go with flow; the foxi employee believes in patience and can live in harmony with manipulative bosses or pain-in-the-ass clients... you get the picture.

Mitu (rice bunny)

米兔

Part of the global #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault, the mitu hashtag – or 'rice bunny', a homophone of 'me too' often written with emojis – gained traction when more commonly used phrases started getting censored. Despite attempts to quiet the movement, victims and activists across the country used it to educate millions and speak out about their experiences.

Ju-Wairen

菊外人

Photograph: @三联生活周刊 via Weibo

If you like Wang Ju, you are Tao Yuanming (an ancient Chinese poet famous for his love of chrysanthemum, which is written in the same character as Wang’s given name, Ju 菊). If you don’t know who she is, then you are Ju-Wairen (someone who doesn’t appreciate chrysanthemum/Wang Ju). Who on earth is Wang Ju anyway? Wang was the star of hit reality show Produce 101, premiered in April. Tanned, curvaceous and super self confident, Wang didn’t fit in from the start and was criticised fairly harshly for her rebellious image over the course of the show. Every time Wang was on the fringe of getting eliminated, she survived. Her self-deprecating sense of humour, charisma and perseverance made her a new Chinese gay icon.

Zhen xiang (so delicious)

真香

This phrase originally appeared on reality TV show Metamorphosis – where spoilt city kids are sent to experience life in the rural countryside. Memes of one of the kids, Wang Jingze, went viral after he claimed that he would rather die of starvation or jump off a building than take a bite of the dinner that his host family offered him. But within a few hours, apparently starved and desperate, Wang scoffed down the meal exclaiming it to be 'so delicious'. The memes are now used more generally to mock those who one minute refuse to try something and the next are saying how great it is.

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