2000–2004 Chinese Internet Memes

The very first reply to a forum post — like grabbing the best seat (a sofa) in the room. Emerging around 2002, 'I got the sofa!' became the ritual claim of whoever posted first in response to any thread. The competitive scramble to claim the sofa had no informational value whatsoever, which was the point — it was pure internet tribal behavior. Still used today in comment sections as a nostalgic callback.

Replying with just '顶' (top/push up) to show support for a post and bump it to the top of the forum. Emerging around 2002, china's original upvote — predating Reddit's actual upvote system by years. Posting '顶' had dual function: expressing agreement and algorithmically boosting the post. The single-character response became a ritual of approval across all Chinese forums.

Posting large volumes of meaningless content in forums — literally 'filling with water,' diluting the quality of discussion. Emerging around 2002, the water metaphor is perfect: water adds volume without substance. "灌水" was both an insult (stop spamming) and a badge of honor (I've been here so long I can afford to just post whatever). Forum post counts were status symbols, incentivizing "灌水".

The act of reading online content without posting — lurking, staying underwater. Emerging around 2002, "潜水" users exist in every online community: they consume everything but produce nothing. The swimming metaphor positions the forum as water and active users as swimmers — while most people remain submerged. '出水' (surfacing) means finally making your first post.

Emerging around 2002, the moderator is the authority figure of early Chinese internet forums, wielding power to delete posts, ban users, and organize communities. Calling them "斑竹" instead of "版主" was affectionate irreverence — acknowledging their power while gently deflating it.

An alternate account used alongside your main account — a sock puppet. Emerging around 2003, the vest metaphor is vivid: a "马甲" is worn over your main identity, covering it when needed. People use "马甲" to post controversial opinions without consequences, participate in multiple communities, or escape bans. The practice is universal but Chinese internet culture named it with particular elegance.

Emerging around 2003, one of China's earliest viral wordplay memes, it established the template for Chinese internet's love of phonetic substitution. Using "童鞋" instead of "同学" was a signal: this person speaks internet. The habit of replacing words with similar-sounding characters became a defining feature of Chinese internet writing.

月光族 (Moonlight Clan / Paycheck-to-Paycheck Tribe) is a Chinese linguistic invention so perfect it should be exported globally. The name is a triple pun: 月 (yuè, moon/month), 光 (guāng, light/empty), and 族 (zú, tribe/clan). Read one way, it's the Moonlight Tribe — poetic. Read another, it's the Monthly Empty Tribe — bank accounts illuminated by nothing but moonlight by payday. Coined by Chinese media in 2003, the term described young urban professionals earning decent salaries but saving nothing, spending everything on dining, fashion, and consumer pleasures. Unlike their parents' generation shaped by scarcity, the 月光族 represented a fundamental break with Chinese financial culture — the first generation to treat consumption as lifestyle. The term has been in continuous use for over 20 years.

A playful phonetic variant of "有没有" (yǒu méi yǒu, 'is there / does anyone else'). Emerging around 2004, replacing 没 with 木 makes the question cuter and more casual. Used to seek solidarity: 'Is there anyone else who feels this way?' The wooden character (木) substitution reflects early Chinese internet's delight in phonetic substitutions that make written language feel more like spoken, playful speech.