996

jiǔjiǔliù

noun

Meanings

1 996 (9am to 9pm, six days a week)
2 996 work schedule

Characters

Examples

我们公司实行996。

Wǒmen gōngsī shíxíng jiǔjiǔliù.

Our company runs on a 996 schedule.

他受不了996,辞职了。

Tā shòu bù liǎo jiǔjiǔliù, cízhí le.

He couldn't handle 996 and quit.

In Pop Culture

996.ICU jiǔjiǔliù diǎn ài xī yóu

996.ICU

A viral GitHub repository launched in 2019 by Chinese tech workers protesting the 996 schedule — the name meaning 'work 996, end up in the ICU'. The campaign drew global attention and public defenses from figures like Jack Ma, who called 996 a 'blessing' — a remark that only fueled outrage.