r/ExcelMandarin

You know this person. Maybe you've been this person.

She hasn't replied in four days. He just sent a "good morning ☀️" anyway.

In Mandarin, we call him a 舔狗.

舔狗 (tiǎn gǒu) = Lick Dog

Noun. Someone who relentlessly pursues a person who shows zero interest , often at the cost of their own dignity. Not just persistent. Genuinely unfazed by being ignored.

舔 = to lick. 狗 = dog. Put it together: someone so desperate for approval they'll lick the hand that never pets them back.

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An emperor's official was rewarded with a beautiful concubine. His wife was furious.

The emperor, amused, told her: accept it — or drink this "poison."

She drank it without hesitating.

It was vinegar. The sour expression on her face said everything.

吃醋 (chī cù) = Eat Vinegar

The feeling of romantic jealousy. That sharp, sour sting when someone you like pays attention to someone else.

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This phrase has survived over a thousand years because the metaphor is too perfect. Jealousy IS sour. You feel it before you understand it.

My cousin works at a tech company in Shenzhen. A couple years ago he told me he was 躺平-ing.

I asked if he got fired.

He laughed and said no. He just decided to stop trying so hard. Show up. Do the work. Go home. No overtime. No side hustles. No LinkedIn posts about "grinding."

Just... existing.

躺平 (tǎng píng) = Lie Flat

Verb. A conscious choice to reject hustle culture and live with minimal ambition. Not laziness — more like a quiet protest against a system that demands too much.

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It went viral in China around 2021. Then r/antiwork happened. Then "quiet quitting" became a NYT think piece.The Chinese had the word for it first.

躺平 is more honest though. You're not quietly quitting. You're openly, philosophically opting out.

Anybody else been 躺平-ing lately? 🛋️