simplified Chinese: 栓Q; pinyin: shuān Q – a homophone for the English phrase “thank you”

         Thank you, I guess?

                            China’s Newest Sarcastic Slang          

         栓Q (shuān Q) is a Chinese internet slang that originated in 2022, and it is short for 我真的会谢 (wǒ zhēn de huì xiè). The original phrase originated from Weibo user @怨男0 (yuàn nán líng), who used it to thank their followers. However, as the phrase spread, it evolved to describe a speechless yet somewhat shocking situation. Many netizens argue about what the phrase stems from, but the two generally accepted origins are 我真的会谢谢你 (wǒ zhēn de huì xièxiè nǐ) and 我真的会谢顶 (wǒ zhēn de huì dǐng). The first phrase is a sarcastic response from the speaker expressing “gratitude” towards the listener for placing them in a slightly inconveniencing position. The literal translation of the second phrase is, “I will go bald.” As in, the speaker will go bald from the stress the person they are addressing gave them. A less common yet accepted meaning for 会谢 (huì xiè) is “wilted,” like a flower. As netizens began incorporating 我真的会谢 into their speech, it gradually shortened to 栓Q, a homophone for the English phrase thank you. The pronunciation of 栓Q originated from an interview in 2017 with a Guangxi farmer, 刘涛 (liú tāo), who translated the descriptor of Guilin–“桂林山水甲天下，阳朔堪称甲桂林” (guìlín shānshuǐ jiǎ tiānxià, yángshuò kān chēng jiǎ guìlín)–to “welcome to Guilin, welcome to Yangshuo, thank you (栓Q).” 栓Q is not the only Chinese internet slang that uses English homophones. A more recent example is the use of “vocal” as a stand-in for 我靠 (wǒ kào), or damn in English.

           栓Q (shuān Q) is a Chinese internet slang that originated in 2022, and it is short for 我真的会谢 (wǒ zhēn de huì xiè). The original phrase originated from Weibo user @怨男0 (yuàn nán líng), who used it to thank their followers. However, as the phrase spread, it evolved to describe a speechless yet somewhat shocking situation. Many netizens argue about what the phrase stems from, but the two generally accepted origins are 我真的会谢谢你 (wǒ zhēn de huì xièxiè nǐ) and 我真的会谢顶 (wǒ zhēn de huì dǐng). The first phrase is a sarcastic response from the speaker expressing “gratitude” towards the listener for placing them in a slightly inconveniencing position. The literal translation of the second phrase is, “I will go bald.” As in, the speaker will go bald from the stress the person they are addressing gave them. A less common yet accepted meaning for 会谢 (huì xiè) is “wilted,” like a flower. As netizens began incorporating 我真的会谢 into their speech, it gradually shortened to 栓Q, a homophone for the English phrase thank you. 

           Mixing English into Chinese slang has become more common as internet usage increased. The pronunciation of 栓Q originated from an interview in 2017 with a Guangxi farmer, 刘涛 (liú tāo), who translated the descriptor of Guilin—”桂林山水甲天下，阳朔堪称甲桂林” (guì lín shān shuǐ jiǎ tiān xià, yáng shuò kān chēng jiǎ guì lín)—to “Welcome to Guilin, welcome to Yangshuo, thank you (栓Q).” A more accurate translation of the descriptor is “The mountains and water of Guilin are the best in the world, and Yangshuo’s are the best in Guilin.” 栓Q is not the only Chinese internet slang that uses English homophones. A more recent example is the use of “vocal” as a stand-in for 我靠 (wǒ kào), or damn in English. However, 栓Q is one of the few that combine two or more popular internet slang to my best knowledge. After netizens merged the two terms, the connotation shifted from expressing genuine gratitude to a more sarcastic and mocking response. An example exchange would be:

           A: 帮你洗浅色衣服前，我忘记把我的红衬衫拿出来了。

           (bāng nǐ xǐ qiǎn sè yī fú qián, wǒ wàng jì bǎ wǒ de hóng chèn shān ná chū lái le)

           B: 我真的会栓Q。(wǒ zhēn de huì shuān Q)

           A: Before helping you wash the whites, I forgot to take my red shirt out.

           B: (speechless) Thanks.