舔屏

From 'coupling' — a pairing of two people (real celebrities, fictional characters, or even streamer-viewer combinations) that fans imagine as a romantic couple. CP culture in China is enormous: fans compile evidence of interactions, create fan fiction, purchase merchandise of their OTP, and invest emotionally in whether their CP will 'go official' (官宣). A well-matched CP generates constant content for their fan communities.

Literally 'if you don't court disaster, disaster won't come to you.' This became one of the few Chinese internet phrases to achieve genuine viral crossover into English-speaking internet culture. When someone makes a terrible decision that backfires spectacularly, you invoke this phrase. The English version 'No Zuo No Die' became a recognized expression even among people with zero Chinese knowledge.

Literally '2D dimension,' this term refers to the fictional world of anime, manga, and games — and by extension, the passionate subculture built around it. Chinese fans use it to describe both the content itself and their own identity as devotees who sometimes prefer cute, idealized 2D characters over messy real-world relationships. It's half lifestyle label, half affectionate self-mockery, with a side of genuine pride.

Bilibili — affectionately called 'B站' — is China's premier video platform beloved by Gen-Z and millennials, built on anime, gaming, and fan culture. Think YouTube meets Twitch meets a high-school cafeteria where everyone quotes the same niche memes. Its signature 'danmu' bullet comments scroll across the screen in real time, turning every video into a communal roast. By 2016 it had exploded beyond niche otaku territory into mainstream youth culture.