tang ping

English

Etymology

From Mandarin 躺平 (tǎngpíng, “lie flat”); compare Cantonese 躺平 (tong ping), Min Nan 躺平 (tang bên). Attested in English from 2021 (see quotations below).

Noun

tang ping (uncountable)

(China, neologism) A lifestyle and social protest movement in China beginning in April 2021, which is a rejection of societal pressures to overwork. [from 2021]
- 2021 June 3, “China's new 'tang ping' trend aims to highlight pressures of work culture”, in BBC News‎:
- 2022 February 22, “What is the ‘Tang ping’ movement started by young Chinese who are against overworking?”, in Malay Mail, Kuala Lumpur:
  A growing number of Chinese youth want to “lie flat.” This is the literal translation of what the expression “Tang ping” means in Chinese. Since last year, the trend has resurfaced. The generation born after 1995 claims to be “Tang ping” and rejects the 10-hours-a-day, 6-days-a-week work model.
- 2023 April 1, Fran Lu, “‘Making money while lying flat’: Chinese movie star Ge You pockets US$1.1 million from hundreds of lawsuits over famous ‘tang ping’ TV character”, in South China Morning Post (Online)‎, Hong Kong:
- 2022 November 2, Han-Yu Hsu, “How do Chinese people evaluate “Tang-Ping” (lying flat) and effort-making: The moderation effect of return expectation”, in National Library of Medicine‎, New York:
Synonym: lying flat

Usage notes

Popularity of the Chinese term traces to a 2021 post by Luo Huazhong on the internet forum Baidu Tieba, in which he discussed his reasons for living a low-key, minimalist lifestyle.[1]

References

Elsie Chen (July 4, 2021), “For Young People in China, ‘Lying Flat’ Beats Working”, in New York Times, page A4: “Mr. Luo’s blog post was removed by censors, who saw it as an affront to Beijing’s economic ambitions. Mentions of “lying flat” — tangping, as it’s known in Mandarin — are heavily restricted on the Chinese internet.”

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[1] Elsie Chen (July 4, 2021), “For Young People in China, ‘Lying Flat’ Beats Working”, in New York Times, page A4: “Mr. Luo’s blog post was removed by censors, who saw it as an affront to Beijing’s economic ambitions. Mentions of “lying flat” — tangping, as it’s known in Mandarin — are heavily restricted on the Chinese internet.”