躺平 went viral in April 2021 after a Baidu Tieba post titled
躺平即是正义 ('Lying flat is justice') described a minimalist lifestyle of refusing to work overtime, marry, or buy a house.
族 ('tribe/clan') is a common social-label suffix, as in
上班族 (office worker tribe) and
月光族 (live-paycheck-to-paycheck tribe).
