Teacher Liu, I often see young people on Weibo saying 'involution', 'lying flat', and something called 'social anxiety'. What do these words mean?

These are all popular internet slang terms in recent years! 'Involution' describes excessive competition—everyone is caught in a whirlpool, working desperately but getting little in return, making life exhausting.

Then what about 'lying flat'? It sounds like not wanting to work hard?

'Lying flat' is actually a reaction to 'involution'. It doesn’t mean doing nothing, but rather refusing to join fierce competition and choosing a simpler, low-stress lifestyle, no longer chasing society’s definition of success.

I see! Then what does 'social anxiety' mean?

'Social anxiety', short for 'social phobia', is now often used half-jokingly by young people to describe their nervousness in social situations. Its opposite is 'social bull', which refers to people who are very confident in social settings.

These new words are so interesting! They seem to describe modern people’s mental state very accurately.

Exactly! Online slang is like a mirror of society—it reflects the lifestyle and psychology of young people. By learning these words, you can better understand what young Chinese people are thinking and what challenges they face.