卷王

The '卷王' is the person in your office or class who stays until midnight, volunteers for every project, and makes everyone else look like they're on vacation. '卷' (juǎn) means to over-compete in a rat race where everyone works harder but nobody actually wins more. The '王' (wáng) means 'king,' so a 卷王 is the undisputed champion of pointless self-destruction — equal parts admired, resented, and pitied.

As China's economy matured and top-tier jobs became scarce, young people found themselves trapped in brutal competition — longer hours, higher credentials, diminishing returns. The '内卷' (involution) phenomenon captured this exhausting cycle. By 2021, '卷王' emerged to name the individual who embodies it most intensely, often used in self-deprecating humor by overworked students and employees to cope with relentless pressure.

指在竞争中拼命内卷、努力程度远超他人、带动整体压力上升的人。