*The Chinese section of this article is the transcript of the podcast episode 《中国职场文化词典（中）》. For the full experience, please visit the episode in English and in Chinese.

大家好，我是小月，欢迎来到今天的节目。本期是系列节目《中国职场文化词典》的第2期。
Hi everyone, I’m Xiaoyue. Welcome to today’s episode! This is the second episode of the podcast series, How China Works: The Words Behind Chinese Work Culture.

如果你对中国社会、中国年轻人的生活，或者中国的职场文化感兴趣，你可能会发现，中国人经常用一些非常特别的词来谈论工作。通过这些词，我们可以看到中国社会的一些变化，也能更好地理解中国人的工作和生活方式。

If you’re interested in Chinese society, the lives of young people, or Chinese work culture, you might have noticed something interesting: Chinese people often use very special words to talk about work. Through these words, we can see some changes in Chinese society and better understand how people live and work in China.

这个系列节目的每一期，我们都会介绍几个特别有代表性的词，并聊聊它们背后的故事。今天这一期，我们要聊的是反映了中国当代职场现实的几个词。

Ineach episode of this series, I’ll introduce a few representative words and share the stories behind them. Today, we’ll talk about words describing modern realities in Chinese workplaces

996 （jiǔ jiǔ liù）

我们先从一个很多人已经听说过的词开始：996。

Let's start with a word that many peoplehave probably heard before: 996.

996 指的是一种工作时间：早上9点上班，晚上9点下班，每周工作6天。

996 means a work schedule of 9 a.m. to 9p.m., six days a week.

这个词最早出现在中国的互联网行业，比如科技公司和创业公司。很多公司为了快速发展，会要求员工长时间工作。有些公司甚至公开表示，996是一种“奋斗精神”，认为年轻人应该努力工作，为事业付出更多时间。

The term first became popular in China's tech industry, especially in internet companies and startups. As these companies grew quickly, many expected their employees to work very long hours. Some bosses even called 996 "the spirit of hard work." They believed that young people should spend as much time as possible on their careers.

但是，很多年轻人并不认同这种想法。在他们看来，996意味着加班太多、工作占用了生活、几乎没有休息时间。不过，由于中国人口很多，工作竞争也很激烈，不少人即使不喜欢996，也很难拒绝，更不敢轻易辞职。

But many young people don't agree. For them, 996 means too much overtime, no work-life balance, and almost no time to rest. Still,because competition for jobs in China is so strong, many people feel they have no choice. Even if they don't like it, they don't dare to refuse or quit.

后来，一些关于过度加班的负面新闻引起了社会关注，很多公司已经不再公开要求员工实行996。但是，在不少公司，下班以后或者周末，员工还是需要保持手机开机，及时回复消息、接听电话。如果领导或客户有需要，他们也可能要随时开始工作。

After several high-profile stories about overwork attracted public attention, many companies stopped openly promoting 996. But in reality, things are not always so different. In many companies, employees are still expected to keep their phones on after work or during weekends. They need to reply to messages, answer calls, and be ready to work whenever their leader or a client needs them.

内卷 （nèi juǎn， Involution）

第二个词是这几年特别流行的一个词：内卷。

The second word is 内卷 (nèijuǎn), or involution. This has become one of themost popular words among young Chinese people in recent years.

简单来说，内卷就是一种越来越激烈、但大家都没有真正受益的竞争。

Simply put, it means everyone is competingharder and harder, but nobody is really better off.

举个例子，本来大家每天工作8个小时就可以完成任务。但是有些人开始每天工作10个小时、12个小时。慢慢地，其他人也不得不一起加班，不然就会觉得自己 “不够努力” 。最后，大家工作的时间越来越长，压力越来越大，但工作效率和生活质量却没有变得更好。

Imagine this. Everyone can finish their workin eight hours. Then a few people start working ten hours a day. Soon others feel they have to do the same, or they will look lazy. In the end, everyoneworks longer hours, everyone feels more stressed, but productivity doesn't improve very much.

内卷不仅出现在工作中，也出现在学习、找工作，甚至养孩子等很多方面。所以，这个词很快就在中国年轻人中流行起来，大家用它来表达自己的压力和无奈。

The same thing happens in school, jobhunting, and even parenting. That's why the word involution spreads so quickly. It has become a way for young people to talk about stress and pressure.

近年来，中国政府也开始关注这个问题。官方媒体和政府部门多次提出，要反对“内卷式竞争”，不要为了竞争而竞争，而应该创造更健康、更公平的工作和生活环境。比如，一些地方开始加强对加班的管理，鼓励企业保护员工的休息时间，也希望年轻人能够有更多时间陪伴家人、发展自己的兴趣，而不是一直陷入没有意义的竞争。

The government has also noticed thisproblem. In recent years, officials and state media have called for an end to "involution-style competition." The idea is simple: people shouldn't compete just for the sake of competing. Life should be healthier and fairer. Some local governments have strengthened rules on overtime and encouraged companies to give employees more time to rest and spend with their families.

当然，在现实生活中，很多行业的竞争还是很激烈，所以不少年轻人觉得，内卷并没有完全消失，只是大家越来越希望工作和生活能够更平衡。

Of course, competition is still very strongin many industries. So many young people feel that involution hasn't disappeared—they just hope life can become a little more balanced.

画饼 （huà bǐng，Drawing Cakes） & 职场PUA（zhí chǎng PUA，Workplace PUA）

接下来这两个词和公司老板管理员工的方式有关，他们就是画饼和职场PUA。

Now let's look at two words about how somebosses manage their employees: drawing cakes and workplace PUA.

先说画饼。画出来的饼能吃吗？当然不能。所以，它的意思就是：给别人描绘一个很美好的未来，但不一定真的会实现。比如老板可能会说：“等以后公司上市了，我会给你发很多钱。”听起来很吸引人，但这个承诺可不一定会实现。所以员工就会说："老板又在画饼了。"

First, drawing cakes. The literal meaning isexactly what it sounds like—drawing a cake.But can you eat a cake that's only been drawn on paper? Of course not. That's why drawing cakes means promising people a wonderful future that may never happen. For example, a boss might say: "When the company goes public, everyonewill get rich!"It sounds exciting, but nobody knows if it will ever happen. So employees often laugh and say:"Here comes another cake."

和"画饼"经常一起出现的，还有一个词：职场PUA。

Another popular expression is workplace PUA.

PUA原来是英文Pick-Up Artist 的缩写，最早和恋爱有关。后来在中文网络上，它的意思发生了变化，更多指的是：利用心理压力来控制别人。"职场PUA"就是老板或者管理者不断给员工施加心理压力，让员工怀疑自己，或者觉得自己必须无条件付出。

PUA originally stood for Pick-Up Artist, butin China the meaning has changed. Today it usually means using psychological pressure to control someone. In the workplace, it means making employees feel guilty or making them think they should sacrifice more for the company.

比如，有的老板可能会说：“让你加班是为了锻炼你、培养你，你应该感谢公司。”或者“年轻人要多学习，不要太在意工资。”如果员工长期听到这些话，可能会觉得自己不够努力，不敢拒绝加班，也不好意思提出自己的要求。

For example, a boss might say: "I'masking you to work overtime because I want to help you grow." Or:"Young people shouldn't care so much about money. Learning is more important." If people hear these messages every day, they may start to doubt themselves. They may feel bad about saying no to overtime or asking for better pay.

当然，现在越来越多的年轻人开始认识到这种现象，也学会保护自己的权益。所以，当有人用这些话来要求员工不断付出时，他们通常会说："别画饼了，也别PUA我了。直接给钱最实际。"

Today, more and more young people recognizethis kind of behavior. So when they hear these speeches, they often joke: "Stop drawing cakes. Stop PUA-ing me. Just pay me."

总结一下，今天我们的四个词：996、内卷、画饼和职场PUA反映了中国年轻人对工作、竞争和生活压力的真实感受。

So today we've learned four popular words: 996,involution, drawing cakes, and workplace PUA. These words show how many young Chinese people feel about work, competition, and pressure in modern China.

下一期，我们会聊一些更“网络化”的职场词，一起来看看中国年轻人是如何用幽默甚至自嘲的方式，来面对职场压力的。

In our next episode, we'll look at anothergroup of workplace buzzwords—this time from the internet—and see how young Chinese people use humor and self-deprecating jokes to deal with stress at work.