Literally 'smoke and fire energy' - the haze and smells of households cooking dinner at dusk. The phrase has classical roots but boomed in 2022 as Shanghai's long COVID lockdown made people painfully aware of what daily-life bustle really meant.
人间烟火气 became almost a slogan for post-lockdown longing. Named a 2022 Top 10 buzzword by 《
咬文嚼字》.