社畜

Borrowed from the Japanese '社畜' (shachiku), this term blends '社' (company) and '畜' (livestock/beast) to describe workers who have surrendered their humanity to corporate demands. Think of someone who works 996, eats instant noodles at their desk, skips holidays, and still gets passed over for a raise — and laughs bitterly about it. It's less a complaint and more a shared shrug: we're all just cattle on the corporate farm, and at least we've got memes.

China's grueling 996 work culture (9am–9pm, six days a week) and intensifying job market pressure, especially among urban millennials and Gen-Z graduates, made 社畜 resonate deeply. With rising living costs, student debt, and fierce competition, many young workers felt trapped in exhausting jobs they couldn't afford to leave. The term spread as dark-humor shorthand for that collective resignation.

指像牲畜一样被公司驱使、过度劳累、没有自我的打工人，带有自嘲意味。