Introduction:
There’s times I catch myself comparing how much I studied last night or how much work I did, and sometimes I feel guilty when I relax while others kept working. It’s that quiet, persistent sense that no matter what I do, when I compare myself to others there’ll always be someone putting in more effort and working harder. And even when there is no one else for some reason if feels like there should be. These thoughts aren’t neccesarily unique to me, they’re part of an overall pressure that defines our modern life. The Chinese have a slang word for this exact feeling, “内卷” or “Involution”. It describes the cycle of working harder and harder, yet never really moving forward like running on a societal treadmill that keeps speeding up but you still end up in the same place. I chose to explore this word because it encapsulates a lot of the emotions like anxiety, ambition, and fatigue that I and so many students and workers experience every day.
Origins and Evolution:
Before it became one of China’s most famous buzzwords, the concept of involution first appeared in the 1960’s when an American Antropolgist Clifford Geertz used it describe how Javanese farmers were working harder and harder on the same plots of land but producing no real growth, basically an endless cycle of effort without progress. Decades later, Chinese scholars adopted this word to describe similar social patterns of people investing more time and energy but seeing diminishing returns. Fast forward to our modern digital age 内卷 took on a whole new life online. Around 2020, Chinese students and young professionals started using the term on Weibo and Zhihu (chinese social media apps) to describe their own lives like staying up until 3 a.m. to study for an exam, competing for internships, or joining a hundred different WeChat groups just to stay ahead. What started as an academic joke ended up defining a generation caught between ambition and exhaustion. So in our modern day, 内卷 isn’t about farming anymore. It reflects how young Chinese navigate a society that praises hard work yet very rarely slows down to ask if it’s all really worth it. From viral memes showing students sleeping on their desks to workplace jokes about “卷王” (the “King of Involution”), the word evolved into both a coping mechanism and sort of a implicit protest to joke and acknowledge the system that places so much pressure on it’s people.
This graphic is commonly used to show involution and workers burnt out and exhausted over the constant grind of working in Chinese culture.
Usage:
The word is often used when students compare how late they studied or when office workers share pictures of sleeping at their desks. The word captures that collective exhaustion from constant competition, where everyone feels pressured to do more even when there’s little to gain.
Netizens use 内卷 in both serious and humorous ways. Saying “太卷了” (“It’s too involuted”) can express frustration and irony. The term has also branched out to phrases like 卷王 (“Involution King”), describing those who push themselves the hardest.Regardless of how it is used though it has become a single word to describe the burnout being faced by students and workers in chinese culture.
Cultural Analysis:
At its core, 内卷 reflects two forces that have long shaped Chinese life, Confucian diligence and Daoist balance. From Confucianism comes the belief that hard work and self improvement are moral obligations. For centuries, this value defined education and family life as effort showed virtue and success was proof of your character and value. Today, that mindset still drives people to push themselves endlessly turning the discipline and diligence into exhaustion.
On the other hand, Daoism offers an escape from this. Its philosophy of wui wei encourages people to step back and live in harmony with the world instead of fighting against it. The growing appeal of another term 躺平 (“lying flat”) shows a return to that thinking, where peace is found not in striving but by letting go and being content.
In this way, 内卷 and 躺平 represent two sides of the same culture, one rooted in ambition, and the other in acceptance. Together they sort of capture the Chinese struggle to balance ancient ideals with the reality of burning out and the ill effects that causes.
A good example of this is the 996 work culture shown in this video is the real world face of 内卷. It captures how long hours and relentless competition have become normalized in modern China, turning Confucian diligence into exhaustion. It helps show the meaning of involution, how people work so hard – hours from 9.am. – 9 p.m. 6 days a week yet never truly progress anywhere and end up burnt out and exhausted rather than at rest and satisfied.
Reflection:
When I think about 内卷, I don’t just see it as an online thing or restricted to Chinese culture. I see it in myself and the people around me. Especially that fear of falling behind in school, internships, and overall just growth as a person. Writing this made me realize that 内卷 isn’t just about competition, it’s about searching for purpose and what brings you peace in a world that never slows down. And the challenge isn’t to escape it completely, but to find a balance of working hard while being content and retaining peace.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8wWoQ3_F00
https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2025/08/whats-new-about-involution?lang=en