DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/parole.v15i1.90-99

Evolving Neologisms and Ephemeral Discourse: WeChat Index Analysis of 2021’s Chinese Internet Buzzwords

Indonesian Language Department, Asian Studies Faculty, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), China

Received: 14 Nov 2024; Revised: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 23 Jan 2026; Available online: 23 Jan 2026; Published: 23 Jan 2026.
Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 PAROLE: Journal of Linguistics and Education under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.

Citation Format:
Abstract

This study aims to investigate the evolving neologism, ephemeral discourse, and socio-cultural significance of 10 Chinese internet buzzwords in 2021, which are 双减 (shuāng jiǎn), 躺平 (tǎng píng), 元宇宙 (yuán yǔzhòu), YYDS , 社交牛逼症 (shèjiāo niú bī zhèng), 绝绝子 (jué jué zi), 跌妈不认 (yuán yǔzhòu), 破防 (pò fang), 鸡娃 (jīwá), and Emo. Employing a quantitative and qualitative approach, we collected those buzzwords from news articles and analyzed their usage trends using the WeChat Index from 2021 to 2024. This study revealed the creative word formation processes and semantic properties of these neologisms among the Chinese netspeak. The WeChat Index data showed that 7 out of the 10 buzzwords experienced a decline in popularity after two years, while three buzzwords maintained an upward trend. Using the concept of ephemeral discourse and critical discourse analysis, we explored how these buzzwords addressed key social, cultural, and political issues, such as education reform, social pressures faced by youth, and the impact of technology on society. The buzzwords popularity trends were influenced by factors such as the natural lifecycle of neologisms, shifting public priorities, and societal attitudes.

 Keywords: Chinese Internet Buzzwords, Neologisms, Ephemeral Discourse, WeChat Index, Critical Discourse Analysis.

Fulltext View|Download
Keywords: Chinese Internet Buzzwords; Neologisms; Ephemeral Discourse; WeChat Index; Critical Discourse Analysis

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Research Article
Language : EN
Recent articles
ASSESSING WORTHINESS IN BOOK REVIEW ARTICLES: AUTHORS’ STRATEGIES IN EVALUATING THE REVIEWED BOOKS A Multimodal and Critical Discourse Analysis of Gender Representation in an Indonesian Grade 4 Science Textbook A Diglossia Study of Sundanese Varieties among Sundanese Students: A Case Study of the Use of Sundanese Variety among University Students in the City of Bandung More recent articles
Most cited articles
Backmatter Interpersonal Metadiscourse pada Tagline Iklan Poster World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Interruptions and Silences in Conversations: A Turn-Taking Analysis KOMPONEN MAKNA UNGKAPAN METAFORIS DALAM PILEG 2009 DALAM WACANA SURAT PEMBACA DI HARIAN SUARA MERDEKA COGNITIVISM AND ITS IMPLICATION IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING More cited articles
  1. Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2004). Language and identity. In A. Duranti (Ed.), A companion to linguistic anthropology (pp. 369-394). Blackwell
  2. Burgess, J. (2006). Hearing Ordinary Voices: Cultural Studies, Vernacular Creativity and Digital Storytelling. Continuum, 20(2), 201–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304310600641737
  3. Castells, M. (1996). The rise of the network society. Blackwell
  4. Chen, M., Liu, S., Zhang, S. (2022). Internet Language Study in China. In: Ye, Z. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Chinese Language Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6844-8_17-1
  5. Danet, B., Herring, S. C. (2007). The multilingual internet: Language, culture, and communication online. Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and Power. London: Longman
  7. Fairclough, N. (2010). Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315834368
  8. Felicity O’Dell. (2016). Creating New Words: Affixation in Neologisms. ELT Journal, 70(1), 94–99. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccv054
  9. Gao, Liwei. (2004). Chinese Internet Language: A Study of Identity Construction. (Publication No. 3153297) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Illionis]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
  10. Gee, J.P. (2004). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203005675
  11. Guo, Y. (2022). The Spread of Internet Buzzwords from the Perspective of Communication Science from 2017 to 2021. BCP Education & Psychology, 7, 404-411
  12. https://doi.org/10.54691/bcpep.v7i.2695
  13. Irvine, J.T., Gal, S. (2000). Language ideology and linguistic differentiation. In P.V. Kroskrity, (Ed), Regimes of language: ideologies, polities, and identities. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press, 35-84
  14. Ji, N. L., Yan, C. Y., & Chen, W. T. (2021). Study on the Life Cycle and Dissemination Mechanism of Internet Hot Words—Based on Cluster Analysis of 73 Hot Words from 2012 to 2020. Journal of Shandong University of Science and Technology (Social Sciences), 23(6). doi: 10.16452/j.cnki.sdkjsk.2021.06.012
  15. Jiang, M., Shen, X. Y., Ahrens, K., & Huang, C. R. (2021). Neologisms are epidemic: Modeling the life cycle of neologisms in China 2008-2016. PloS one, 16(2), e0245984. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245984
  16. Jing, Hu. (2021). Critical Discourse Analysis and Research Based on Ideological Internet Buzzwords. 2021 IEEE Asia-Pacific Conference on Image Processing, Electronics and Computers (IPEC), Dalian, China, pp. 420-422, doi: 10.1109/IPEC51340.2021.9421071
  17. Koltsova, E. A. (2017). Neologisms In The English Language In The 21st Century
  18. La, Annette Sarinthorn. (2019). The Instan Generation: Chinese Internet Language and Identity Trends. [Master’s Thesis, University of California]. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4g11k7r4
  19. Li, Weicheng. (2023). The Integration of Chinese Internet Neologism into Everyday Language: An Empirical Study Using Baidu Index and Online Surveys. [Master’s Thesis, Lund University]. https://www.sol.lu.se/media/kalender/2023-05/Weicheng_Li_defense.pdf
  20. Marimón Llorca, C., & Sánchez Manzanares, C. (2022). Neologismos del afecto: análisis del nuevo léxico generado en el ámbito de la psicología de la pareja. Estudios Románicos, 31. doi: https://doi.org/10.6018/ER.510471
  21. Milroy, J., & Milroy, L. (1999). Authority in language: Investigating standard English (3rd ed.). Routledge
  22. Pavel, V, Chernyshov. (2017). Comment on: Quimp: A word meaning "quality of life impairment." Acta Dermato-venereologica. doi: 10.2340/00015555-2652
  23. Ringel, S., & Davidson, R. (2022). Proactive ephemerality: How journalists use automated and manual tweet deletion to minimize risk and its consequences for social media as a public archive. New Media & Society, 24(5), 1216-1233. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820972389
  24. RUDN Journal of Language Studies, Semiotics and Semantics, 8(3), 604-613. doi: 10.22363/2313-2299-2017-8-3-604-613
  25. Viires, Piret and Laak, Marin (2021). Ephemerality in the Digital World: Estonian Case Studies of Digital Literature and Digital Literary Heritage Projects. Neohelicon, 48 (1), 39−58. doi: 10.1007/s11059-021-00580-3
  26. Woolard, K. A., & Schieffelin, B. B. (1994). Language ideology. Annual Review of Anthropology, 23, 55-82
  27. Wyatt, S. (2021). Metaphors in critical Internet and digital media studies. New Media & Society, 23(2), 406-416. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820929324
  28. Xiaorong, Jiang. (2023). Evolutionary Algorithm Simulation of Japanese to Chinese Buzzwords Based on Quantum Social Network Modeling. International Journal of Science and Engineering Applications, 159-161. doi: 10.7753/ijsea1201.1054
  29. Xuan Hu, Yongjun Liu. (2022). Chinese Online Language Dissemination from the Perspective of Mobile Information System. Mobile Information Systems. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3107475
  30. Zalmout, Nasser & Thadani, Kapil & Pappu, Aasish. (2019). Unsupervised Neologism Normalization Using Embedding Space Mapping. 425-430. doi: 10.18653/v1/D19-5555
  31. Zappavigna, M. (2012). Discourse of Twitter and social media: How we use language to create affiliation on the Web. New York: Continuum
  32. Zou, Yushan., Ni, Rong. (2022). On network buzzwords from meme theory-“mind”. US-China Foreign Language, August 2022, Vol. 20, No. 8, 303-308. doi: 10.17265/1539-8080/2022.08.004

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update: 2026-01-23 13:32:33

No citation recorded.