Love Yourself, Dear Self: Only by loving yourself can you better love the world.

What if the most important person to love is yourself? A new Chinese internet phrase, "爱你老己," is teaching young people to be kind to themselves. This HSK 5 reading explains why self-love isn't selfish—and how small daily joys can refill your energy.

🏷️ HSK 5 🏷️ Internet Slang 🏷️ Life Lessons

拼音 Pinyin 开关

翻译 Translation 开关

Jīnnián, yǒu yí gè cí zài wǎngshàng fēicháng huǒ, jiào “ài nǐ lǎo jǐ”. Hěn duō rén kěnéng huì wèn: “‘Ài nǐ lǎo jǐ’ shì shénme yìsi?” Qíshí, “ài nǐ lǎo jǐ” jiù shì duì zìjǐ hǎo yìdiǎn, ài zìjǐ. Dǒuyīn shàng yǒu hěn duō niánqīngrén gěi zìjǐ mǎi huā, yí gè rén qù chī dàcān, mǎi yí jiàn xiǎng le hěn jiǔ de dōngxi. Tāmen bú shì zài xuànyào, ér shì zài gàosu zìjǐ: “Wǒ zhídé bèi ài.”

今年，有一个词在网上非常火，叫“爱你老己”。很多人可能会问：“‘爱你老己’是什么意思？”其实，“爱你老己”就是对自己好一点，爱自己。抖音上有很多年轻人给自己买花，一个人去吃大餐，买一件想了很久的东西。他们不是在炫耀，而是在告诉自己：“我值得被爱。”

This year, a word has become very popular online, called "爱你老己". Many people may ask: "What does '爱你老己' mean?" In fact, "爱你老己" means being a little better to yourself and loving yourself. On Douyin, many young people buy themselves flowers, go alone to eat a big meal, or buy something they have wanted for a long time. They are not showing off, but telling themselves: "I deserve to be loved."

“Ài nǐ lǎo jǐ” tīng qǐlái xiàng yí gè hǎowán de wǎngluò liúxíngyǔ, dàn zǐxì xiǎngxiang, tā hěn yǒu dàolǐ. Wǒmen píngshí zǒngshì hěn máng: yào xuéxí, yào gōngzuò, yào zhàogù jiārén. Wǒmen chángcháng wàng le zhàogù zìjǐ de xīnqíng. Qíshí, ài zìjǐ bú shì zìsī. Zhǐyǒu xiān ài zìjǐ, cái néng gèng hǎo de ài biérén. Gěi zìjǐ yìdiǎn shíjiān, zuò yí jiàn ràng zìjǐ kāixīn de xiǎoshì, zhè jiù shì “ài nǐ lǎo jǐ”.

“爱你老己”听起来像一个好玩的网络流行语，但仔细想想，它很有道理。我们平时总是很忙：要学习、要工作、要照顾家人。我们常常忘了照顾自己的心情。其实，爱自己不是自私。只有先爱自己，才能更好地爱别人。给自己一点时间，做一件让自己开心的小事，这就是“爱你老己”。

"爱你老己" sounds like a fun internet buzzword, but if you think carefully, it makes a lot of sense. We are usually always busy: we have to study, work, and take care of family. We often forget to take care of our own mood. In fact, loving yourself is not selfish. Only by loving yourself first can you better love others. Give yourself a little time and do a small thing that makes you happy—this is "爱你老己".

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