甩锅
What Does 甩锅 Mean?
Literally 'throwing the pot' — when someone tosses blame for a mistake onto others like throwing a hot pan away. Emerging around 2016, essential vocabulary for understanding Chinese workplace and political discourse. Politicians "甩锅" to local officials; bosses "甩锅" to employees; partners "甩锅" to each other. The visual of literally throwing a cooking pot is both vivid and perfect.
Origin Story
'Passing the Buck' (甩锅) derives from a vivid physical metaphor: '甩' (to fling or hurl) and '锅' (a cooking pot), together evoking the image of someone throwing a hot pan away from themselves before it burns them — and toward someone else. The term entered widespread internet usage on Weibo around 2016, driven by its utility in describing both workplace dynamics and political discourse. In Chinese organizational culture, where hierarchy and face-saving norms make direct accountability rare, the practice of deflecting blame downward or sideways is endemic; '甩锅' gave people precise language to name what they were experiencing. The term's political applications proved equally useful: citizens used it to describe officials who blamed subordinates for policy failures; officials used it to describe other officials; international observers adopted it to characterize diplomatic blame-shifting. The visual specificity of the metaphor — a hot, dangerous object being physically hurled away — made it more visceral than English equivalents like 'passing the buck' or 'throwing under the bus.' By 2020, the term had become a standard tool of Chinese political analysis, used to dissect government crisis communication during the pandemic, corporate accountability failures, and everyday office politics. Its persistence reflects the structural persistence of the behavior it describes.
Cultural Context
The term became particularly resonant in hierarchical Chinese organizational cultures where accountability is often negotiated rather than fixed. In workplaces with strong face-saving norms, 甩锅 happens constantly — admitting fault damages face, so blame flows downward. The term gave people language to name what they were experiencing.
Similar Expressions in English
Like 'passing the buck,' 'throwing someone under the bus,' or 'scapegoating.' The cooking pot metaphor is more visceral than English equivalents — you're not just deflecting blame, you're actively hurling it away from yourself.
How Is It Used?
Chinese Explanation (中文解释)
将责任、错误推卸给他人，字面意思是把锅甩给别人，引申为推卸责任。