#230 Young People in China Becoming Rat? 老鼠人

Today’s Episode

What does it mean to be a “rat person”? 🐀 In China, more and more young people call themselves lǎoshǔ rén—night owls who avoid socialising and “lie flat” to escape pressure. In this episode, discover why this trend is growing and what it tells us about youth today.

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大家好!欢迎回来MaoMi Chinese!

 

今天的MaoMi Chinese也要谢谢Maayot Chinese的支持!我们学了新的词以后,怎么样才知道我们懂了呢?Maayot Chinese有很多的小测试,学了新的词以后,我们就可以做测试,让我们学得更好一点!

 

以前,我们说过“躺平”。“躺平”就是不想努力,不想和别人比赛,过一种很简单的生活。比如,不想买房,不想买车,不想结婚,不想生孩子,就是过得很轻松。这就是“躺平”。

 

那“老鼠人”是什么意思呢?在网上,有一些年轻人把自己叫做“老鼠人”。他们不是真的老鼠,只是因为他们的生活习惯有点像老鼠。老鼠白天都躲在洞里,不出来。到了晚上才出来找东西吃。很多年轻人也是这样:白天不出门,不见朋友,也不和人说话。到了晚上,他们才开始活动,比如玩游戏,刷手机,看视频。

 

老鼠人喜欢躺平,也不喜欢社交。“社交”,就是和别人一起活动、聊天、见面。老鼠人不喜欢社交,他们不想和别人有太多联系。

 

有的老鼠人拍视频,记录他们的生活。比如:他们中午十二点才起床,点了外卖,躺在床上玩游戏,看电视剧,睡午觉,睡到晚上,吃晚饭。晚上继续玩手机,到两三点才睡。第二天,又是一样的一天。

 

为什么现在有那么多年轻人变成“老鼠人”呢?我觉得,有这些原因:

第一,一些年轻人生活压力很大。房租很贵,房价也很高,工作也很辛苦。

第二,很多人觉得,就算努力,也不一定能改变。努力工作,可能还是买不起房子。所以他们觉得努力没有用。

第三,社交让人觉得很累。面对面和别人说话,让他们觉得没有力气。但是,在手机上,发几句话就可以了。所以他们更喜欢在家里。

 

“老鼠人”这个词,就像年轻人的一种心情。变成老鼠人,对他们来说,其实是保护自己,不让自己太累。可是如果一直这样,他们可能会更孤单,对他们身体健康不好,心理健康也不好。

 

好啦,我们先来看看今天聊的词吧!

 

躺平”就是不想努力,不想和别人比赛,过一种很简单的生活。比如,工作太累了,我只想躺平。

老鼠人,像老鼠一样,白天睡觉,晚上才活动的人。

社交,就是和别人一起活动,见面,聊天。老鼠人都不喜欢社交。

 

你怎么看呢?你觉得做“老鼠人”是一个好事,还是一个坏事?欢迎给我们留言,和我们分享哦!

Hello everyone! Welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!

 

Today’s episode of MaoMi Chinese is kindly supported by Maayot Chinese! When we learn new words, how do we know if we really understand them? Maayot Chinese has lots of little quizzes. After we learn new words, we can take a quiz to check ourselves and help us learn even better!

 

In the past, we’ve talked about “tǎng píng”, or “lying flat”. “Lying flat” means not wanting to work hard, not wanting to compete with others, and living a very simple life. For example, not wanting to buy a house, not wanting to buy a car, not wanting to get married, not wanting to have children – just living in a relaxed way. That’s what “lying flat” means.

 

So, what does “lǎoshǔ rén” – “rat people” – mean? On the internet, some young people call themselves “rat people”. They are not really rats! It’s just that their way of living is a bit like a rat’s. Rats hide in their holes during the day and don’t come out. At night, they come out to look for food. Many young people are like this too: during the day they don’t go out, don’t meet friends, and don’t talk to anyone. At night, they become active – playing games, scrolling on their phones, watching videos.

 

Rat people like lying flat, and they don’t like socialising. “Socialising” means doing activities with others, chatting, meeting face to face. Rat people don’t enjoy this. They don’t want too much contact with other people.

 

Some rat people even make videos to record their lives. For example: they get up at midday, order takeaway, lie in bed playing games, watch dramas, take a nap, wake up in the evening, eat dinner. At night, they continue on their phones until two or three in the morning. The next day, it’s the same again.

 

Why are so many young people becoming rat people nowadays? I think there are a few reasons.

First, some young people feel a lot of pressure in life. Rent is expensive, house prices are high, work is tiring.

Second, many people feel that even if they work hard, it might not change anything. Even with a job, they still can’t afford a house. So, they think working hard is pointless.

Third, socialising feels exhausting. Talking face to face with others takes a lot of energy. But on a phone, you can just send a few messages. So, they prefer to stay at home.

 

“Rat people” is really a reflection of how young people are feeling. Becoming a rat person is, in a way, a way of protecting themselves, so they don’t feel too tired. But if it goes on for too long, they may feel more lonely, and it’s not good for their physical or mental health.

 

Okay, let’s first take a look at the words we’re talking about today!

 

“躺平” means not wanting to work hard, not wanting to compete with others, and just living a very simple life. For example: work is too tiring, I just want to “lie flat.”

 

“老鼠人” are people who live like mice – they sleep during the day and only come out at night.

 

“社交” means socializing: doing activities with other people, meeting up, chatting. “老鼠人” don’t like socializing.

 

What do you think? Do you think being a “rat person” is a good thing? Leave us a message and share your thoughts!

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