卷不动

捲不動

juǎnbudòng

phrase

Meanings

1 can't keep grinding (anymore)
2 too burned out to compete

Characters

to roll up; to over-compete

not (in potential complement)

to move / be able to

Examples

HSK 4

我真的卷不动了,想躺平。

Wǒ zhēn de juǎnbudòng le, xiǎng tǎngpíng.

I really can't keep grinding anymore, I want to lie flat.

HSK 4

互联网行业大家都开始卷不动了。

Hùliánwǎng hángyè dàjiā dōu kāishǐ juǎnbudòng le.

In the internet industry, everyone is starting to be unable to keep up the rat race.

Tips

culture

Sits at the heart of the 内卷 'involution' / 躺平 'lying flat' discourse that took over Chinese social media around 2020. 卷 here is the verb sense of 内卷 - competing harder for the same shrinking pie. 卷不动 = 'I'm out, I can't keep up the rat race.'

register

Internet slang, very colloquial. Common in office/student venting. The grammatical shape is 动词 + 不动 'verbally unable to (keep) doing,' a productive pattern (走不动 'can't keep walking,' 吃不动 'can't eat any more').

Stroke Order

卷 juǎn

不 bù

动 dòng