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“躺平”与“内卷”：当代年轻人的两种选择

“Lying Flat” and “Rat Race”: Two Choices for Today’s Young People

In China today, two opposing lifestyle choices have become hot topics among young people: neijuan (rat race) and tangping (lying flat). One means working harder and harder just to stay in place; the other means dropping out of the competition entirely. This article explores what these terms really mean, why young people choose one or the other, and whether there might be a middle path.

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如果你最近关注中国的社交媒体，你一定经常看到两个词：“内卷”和“躺平”。“内卷”指的是在一个竞争激烈的环境里，每个人为了不被淘汰，不得不付出越来越多的努力，但最后大家的相对位置并没有改变。比如，一个班里本来大家晚上九点睡觉，有人开始学到十点，其他人为了不落后也学到十点，结果所有人都更累了，但名次还是一样。“躺平”则是完全相反的选择——放弃激烈竞争，降低欲望，过简单、低消耗的生活。 ➕

Rúguǒ nǐ zuìjìn guānzhù Zhōngguó de shèjiāo méitǐ, nǐ yīdìng jīngcháng kàndào liǎng gè cí: “nèijuǎn” hé “tǎngpíng”. “Nèijuǎn” zhǐ de shì zài yī gè jìngzhēng jīliè de huánjìng lǐ, měi gè rén wèile bù bèi táotài, bùdé bù fùchū yuè lái yuè duō de nǔlì, dàn zuìhòu dàjiā de xiāngduì wèizhì bìng méiyǒu gǎibiàn. Bǐrú, yī gè bān lǐ běnlái dàjiā wǎnshàng jiǔ diǎn shuìjiào, yǒu rén kāishǐ xué dào shí diǎn, qítā rén wèile bù luòhòu yě xué dào shí diǎn, jiéguǒ suǒyǒu rén dōu gèng lèi le, dàn míngcì háishì yīyàng. “Tǎngpíng” zé shì wánquán xiāngfǎn de xuǎnzé —— fàngqì jīliè jìngzhēng, jiàngdī yùwàng, guò jiǎndān, dī xiāohào de shēnghuó.

If you have been following Chinese social media lately, you have definitely seen two words: neijuan and tangping. Neijuan (rat race) refers to a highly competitive environment where everyone has to put in more and more effort just to avoid being eliminated, yet everyone’s relative position remains unchanged. For example, in a class where everyone originally went to bed at 9 p.m., one person starts studying until 10 p.m. Others, not wanting to fall behind, also study until 10 p.m. As a result, everyone is more tired, but the rankings are still the same. Tangping (lying flat) is the opposite choice – giving up intense competition, lowering desires, and living a simple, low-consumption life.

“内卷”这个词最早来自学术研究，后来被中国年轻人用来形容教育、职场、婚恋等各个领域的过度竞争。比如，有的公司员工本来每天工作八小时，但有人主动加班到十点，老板表扬了他。于是其他人也开始加班，最后所有人每天都要工作十小时，工资却没增加。这就是内卷的典型例子。很多年轻人抱怨，内卷让他们感到疲惫、焦虑，甚至怀疑自己的价值。 ➕