“City or not city?” that is the question. Or at least, that was the question Chinese couldn’t stop asking in 2024.

From the suffocating smell of banwei, or that “office stench,” to the effortless cool of Greek gods and goddesses, these online buzzwords offer a window into the trends, struggles, and quirks that defined the year online.

Here is a list of Sixth Tone’s top internet slang from 2024.

Abstract (抽象, chōuxiàng)

Typically used to refer to non-concrete ideas or representations in art and philosophy, 抽象 (chōuxiàng), or “abstract,” has become the go-to adjective for young Chinese bewildered, confused, or just plain speechless at their peers’ behavior. Return to your dorm to find your roommates pretending to be birds? That’s abstract. Watching noted bad actor Jacky Heung suddenly drop to the ground and start acting like a lizard? Abstract. Trying to explain the concept of “abstract” as a meme in Chinese? You best believe that’s chōuxiàng.

Pinned in Place (硬控, yìng kòng)

In the gaming world, 硬控 (yìng kòng) is used to refer to pinning enemies down and keeping them from moving. The term has since broken into the mainstream, as Chinese use it in everyday speech to describe an inability to look away, or mesmerize. Viral videos, incredible performances, or just a juicy bit of gossip — almost anything now has the power to yìng kòng.

Beasts of burden (牛马, niúmǎ)

Literally meaning “cattle and horses,” 牛马 (niúmǎ) has become a popular online shorthand for China’s overworked, undervalued employees. The “joke” is that modern workers are expected to toil harder than farm animals — which are too valuable to simply work to death. It turns out that, when overtime is mandatory, even your work ID can start to feel like a yoke.

City or not? (city不city, city bù city)

“City or not?” that is the question — at least it was on Chinese social media in 2024. Spurred by viral posts on Xiaohongshu by Shanghai-based American Paul Mike Ashton, users began asking whether everything from soda water to the Great Wall was mod enough, glam enough, and urbane enough to merit the descriptor “city.”

Self-imposed hardship (没苦硬吃, méi kǔ yìng chī)

In many ways, life in China has gotten much better since the 1950s and ’60s. But for some elderly Chinese, it can be hard to leave their childhood hardships in the past. Whether due to deeply ingrained habits, a desire for frugality, or simply the belief that pain is gain, it can sometimes seem like they go out of their way to make things difficult for themselves. While this tendency toward “self-imposed hardship” (没苦硬吃, méi kǔ yìng chī) can often be harmless, other habits, such as refusing to turn on the air conditioner in the summer, can have more dangerous consequences.

That laid-back vibe⁠ (松弛感, sōngchí gǎn)

The Olympics are a fitness-driven pressure cooker, a once-every-four-years opportunity for athletes to leave their mark on sports history. But for a handful of elite competitors, even an Olympic final can’t shake their sense of calm. Whether it’s Simone Biles yawning ahead of a key routine, or Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikeç scoring silver while dressed for the mall, these athletes’ ability to keep their cool in the most intense moments captured the imaginations of social media users in China, who praised their 松弛感 (sōngchí gǎn), or “laid-back vibes.” It just goes to show that there’s no greater skill than making the impossible seem easy.⁠

Office stench (班味, bān wèi)

Tired of your work? Desperate for a change? Be careful: Spend too long toiling at a dead-end job and you might find the stench of your office hard to wash off. Young, overworked Chinese are using the term 班味 (bān wèi), or “office stench,” to describe the lingering malaise that makes everything — from finishing work on time to finding a new, less miserable career — so much harder.

Greek Gods and Goddesses of __ (古希腊掌管__的神, gǔ xīlà zhǎngguǎn __ de shén)

In Ancient Greek mythology, Zeus was the god of the sky and thunder, Poseidon the god of the sea, and Persephone the goddess of spring. Now, young Chinese are inventing their own pantheons, giving members of the group chat titles like “the Ancient Greek god of cooking” (gǔ xīlà zhǎngguǎn chúyì de shén) or “the Ancient Greek goddess of sleep” (gǔ xīlà zhǎngguǎn shuìjiào de shén). It’s a fun, lighthearted way to reference a friend’s mastery of a given activity.

Stealth mode (偷感, tōu gǎn)

When you go out to a party or to meet with friends, are you at the center of every photo or do you gravitate toward the edges of the group, hoping to avoid attention? If you’re more the latter, young Chinese have a term to describe you: 偷感 (tōu gǎn) — literally “thief vibes” — capturing a strong sense of social inhibition. This type of person tends to be uncomfortable in public settings, avoids posting about study habits or weight loss regimens, and prefers to celebrate achievements in private.

Mild-mannered vs. extra-strong (淡人 vs. 浓人, dàn rén vs. nóng rén)

If the various acronyms of the MBTI personality test are too much for you to keep track of, there’s now a simple alternative: “mild-mannered” (淡人, dàn rén) vs. “extra-strong” (浓人, nóng rén). As an easy way to navigate their various friends, Chinese youth have started to split them into these two groups. But with all of life’s flavors, striking a balance between the two will likely lead to the best outcome.

Compiled by Zhang Ru and Xie Anran, with contributions from Zhang Yila. Editor: Tom Arnstein.

(Header image: Visuals from VCG, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu, reedited by Sixth Tone)