内卷

內卷

nèijuǎn

noun

Meanings

1 involution
2 excessive competition
3 rat race

Characters

to roll; to curl

Literally 'rolling inward' — competition that spirals inward without producing real progress

Examples

现在的职场内卷太严重了。

Xiànzài de zhíchǎng nèijuǎn tài yánzhòng le.

The workplace competition is way too intense nowadays.

大家都在内卷，谁也不敢休息。

Dàjiā dōu zài nèijuǎn, shéi yě bù gǎn xiūxi.

Everyone is caught in the rat race; nobody dares to rest.

不要再卷了，生活不只是工作。

Bùyào zài juǎn le, shēnghuó bù zhǐ shì gōngzuò.

Stop grinding so hard; life is more than just work.

Tips

culture

内卷 went viral around 2020, originally an academic term (involution) that became slang for pointless hyper-competition — where everyone works harder but nobody gains an advantage. It captures frustration with China's intense work culture and education system.

usage

Often shortened to just 卷 as a verb: 别卷了 (stop grinding). The opposite concept is 躺平 (lie flat / opt out of the rat race).

Stroke Order

内 nèi

卷 juǎn