{"id":1306,"date":"2021-06-14T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/?p=1306"},"modified":"2026-03-15T16:20:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T23:20:05","slug":"neijuan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/06\/14\/neijuan\/","title":{"rendered":"n\u00e8iju\u01cen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\tn\u00e8iju\u01cen<\/span>\n(n\u00e8i\u00b7ju\u01cen\ninner \u00b7 rolling \u2192<\/span> [involution]<\/span>\n\u5185\u5377\n\u5167\u5377\/\u6372<\/span>)<\/span>\n\n \u2190 Tap\/click to show\/hide the \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n\n

I recently came across an interesting article<\/a> on the website Sixth Tone<\/i><\/a>*<\/a>, about this week\u2019s MEotW, \u201cn\u00e8iju\u01cen<\/i><\/span>\n(n\u00e8i\u00b7ju\u01cen\ninner \u00b7 rolling \u2192<\/span> [involution]<\/span>\n\u5185\u5377\n\u5167\u5377\/\u6372<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d.<\/p>\n

The article briefly describes how this word is being used now by people in China:<\/p>\n

\nOriginally used by anthropologists to describe self-perpetuating processes that keep agrarian societies from progressing, involution has become a shorthand used by Chinese urbanites to describe the ills of their modern lives: Parents feel intense pressure to provide their children with the very best; children must keep up in the educational rat race; office workers have to clock in a grinding number of hours.<\/p>\n

Involution can be understood as the opposite of evolution. The Chinese word, neijuan<\/i>, is made up of the characters for \u2018inside\u2019 and \u2018rolling,\u2019 and is more intuitively understood as something that spirals in on itself, a process that traps participants who know they won\u2019t benefit from it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Regarding the \u201cju\u01cen<\/i><\/span>\n({roll up}; {roll (n<\/i>)}<\/span>\n\u5377\n\u5377\/\u6372<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d in \u201cn\u00e8iju\u01cen<\/i><\/span>\n(n\u00e8i\u00b7ju\u01cen\ninner \u00b7 rolling \u2192<\/span> [involution]<\/span>\n\u5185\u5377\n\u5167\u5377\/\u6372<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d, dictionaries say that it means \u201croll up\u201d when used as a verb, and that it means \u201croll\u201d when used as a noun. For example, a \u201cch\u016bnju\u01cen<\/i><\/span>\n(ch\u016bn\u00b7ju\u01cen\nspring \u00b7 roll [\u2192 [egg roll]]<\/span>\n\u6625\u5377\n\u6625\u6372<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d is a \u201cspring roll\u201d or \u201cegg roll\u201d.<\/p>\n

Chinese \u201cRat Races\u201d<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s interesting that the above quote compares \u201cn\u00e8iju\u01cen<\/i><\/span>\n(n\u00e8i\u00b7ju\u01cen\ninner \u00b7 rolling \u2192<\/span> [involution]<\/span>\n\u5185\u5377\n\u5167\u5377\/\u6372<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d to the English term \u201crat race\u201d. The Online Etymology Dictionary<\/i><\/a> tells us<\/a> that an early application of \u201crat race\u201d often included literal rolls and turns:<\/p>\n

\nA rat race is … a simple game of “follow the leader” in fighter planes. The leader does everything he can think of \u2014 Immelmanns, loops, snap rolls, and turns, always turns, tighter and tighter. [Popular Science, May 1941]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course, \u201crat race\u201d also went on to refer to \u201cfiercely competitive struggle\u201d. Wikipedia<\/a> describes it this way:<\/p>\n

\nA rat race<\/strong> is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely.<\/p>\n

The term is commonly associated with an exhausting, repetitive lifestyle that leaves no time for relaxation or enjoyment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Contrasting Cultures<\/h4>\n

Continuing on, the Sixth Tone<\/i> article goes into an interview with anthropologist Xi\u00e0ng Bi\u0101o<\/i>, a professor at the University of Oxford and the director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany. The interview touches on various aspects of n\u00e8iju\u01cen<\/i><\/span>\n(n\u00e8i\u00b7ju\u01cen\ninner \u00b7 rolling \u2192<\/span> [involution]<\/span>\n\u5185\u5377\n\u5167\u5377\/\u6372<\/span>)<\/span> and on how this term can be applied to life in China, both past and present.<\/p>\n

I especially found Mr. Xi\u00e0ng<\/i>\u2019s comparisons of Chinese cultural attitudes and practices with those of other cultures interesting:<\/p>\n

\nBecause our culture traditionally encouraged having large families, population growth made labor extremely cheap and took away any incentive for technological innovation. This is a big difference between China and Europe. For example, the carrying pole was virtually nonexistent in Europe. However, every farming family in China had one. All heavy work in Europe was done almost entirely using animals. Once the steam engine was invented in Europe, machinery was then used to solve the problem.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

In terms of the workplace, we can say that involution is being used to critique modern capitalism. But capitalism is too broad and imprecise a word. It first emerged in places like the United Kingdom, with modern capitalism then best developing probably in Germany, but the phenomenon of involution isn\u2019t as evident in these countries. So, there\u2019s something characteristically Chinese about it.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

Everyone in China has the same goals: Earn more money, buy a home of more than 100 square meters, own a car, start a family, and so on. This route is very well marked, and everyone is highly integrated. People are all fighting for the same things within this market.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

we don\u2019t have horizontal differentiation. In Germany, there is a strong emphasis on apprenticeships, which are considered an important method of employment. One time in Germany, I went to get a haircut. I was a little nervous beforehand since Asian people have very different hair than Europeans. I didn\u2019t know if the barber could deal with it, and yet it turned out to be the best haircut I\u2019ve ever had. The barber was very focused and content with the work. My hypothesis is that hairdressers in Germany begin their training early on as apprentices; hairdressing is their career, and they are very devoted. It\u2019s not like in Asia where if someone doesn\u2019t do well at school, they\u2019re left with no choice but to open a hairdressing salon to make some money. From then on, they feel unable to attend school reunions.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know much about undergraduates at Oxford University. But overemphasizing exam scores, as well as instrumentalizing everything, carefully pleasing authorities, and considering classmates potential competitors \u2014 I don\u2019t think these issues exist there.<\/p>\n

Firstly, this kind of GPA competition, or call it involution, is an exception in human history. In China it has only been around for the past decade. Of course, there\u2019s also group pressure in the U.K. What is group pressure for undergraduates at Oxford? When you\u2019re doing something, people expect you to say why you find it interesting. If you can\u2019t explain why, your reputation will take a bit of a hit and people will think you\u2019re not a very \u201cauthentic\u201d person. It\u2019s as if you\u2019re doing something just to please people, or because others think it\u2019s a good thing \u2014 then people will think you\u2019re not interesting. So, you need to have a good narrative for why you do what you do. It\u2019s a habit: When students write reports or research applications, you can see that they emphasize why they think something is of interest. Chinese students who study abroad have some difficulty in this respect and will write about the social significance of the project in their research proposals. The thing is, lots of things are socially important. Plus, this socially important topic has been done to death \u2014 so what new things can be done? These reports can sound empty and just parrot the conventional.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

But Confucianism is also a very broad concept. For example, the experiences of involution in China and the high-pressure work and school life in Japan are not exactly the same. Japan does have karoshi<\/i> \u2014 death from overwork \u2014 but this is more of a kind of group pressure. It\u2019s closer to Confucianism, meaning there is a strong communal nature and highly uniform moral judgment. If your workmates don\u2019t leave the office, neither should you; otherwise, you\u2019ll feel you\u2019re letting them down. In addition, there\u2019s not so much of a desire to advance yourself in Japan.<\/p>\n

Japan has a large number of homebodies who lack any desire to get ahead. Yesterday, I asked my wife (a Japanese sociologist) how she squares the fact that Japan has people dying from overwork, and yet no competitiveness. Japanese education is very equalitarian, and no one should be left behind. Classes are taught according to the least able, and everyone waits for them. That\u2019s the opposite of China, where education is aimed at the top students. China has a Confucian foundation with extremely liberal market competition mixed in.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

In Japan, I visited one restaurant where they only serve tempura. The chef there picks up a sea urchin and starts to tell you about the fisher who caught it, and then how they are transported from the Seto Inland Sea to Tokyo. This one sea urchin requires the work of so many hands. He treats the oil and flour with the same reverence. You\u2019ll start to think about how you\u2019re connected to all those people. So in this sense, the spirit of craftsmanship is a very deep devotion to the here and now, to that little corner of the world where you find yourself. I think this is a much better way to deal with your sense of worry and being adrift in the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Narrow-Minded, Inward-Rolling Language Learning<\/h4>\n

Re Mr. Xi\u00e0ng<\/i>\u2019s comment that in China they \u201cdon\u2019t have horizontal differentiation\u201d, I believe that basically he means that people there often only recognize a very narrow range of top goals to strive for, and they often only recognize a very narrow range of ways to the top. From my own experience with people who were brought up in traditional worldly human Chinese culture, I tend to agree that such ones can be narrow-minded about what they consider to be the way to success, and dismissive about anything that is outside of that narrow range.<\/p>\n

For example, when it comes to learning the Mandarin language, traditional Chinese culture has defined a narrow goal that involves focusing on learning Chinese characters. Thus, those who adhere to narrow-minded traditional Chinese culture are automatically dismissive of an alternate primary goal such as proficiency with Mandarin speech, and they are also automatically dismissive of an alternate means to that goal, such as P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n{Piecing Together} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span>. Ignoring the facts that according to first principles of language science 1) speech is primary and 2) P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n{Piecing Together} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> qualifies as a full writing system for Mandarin, such Chinese culture traditionalists proudly and dogmatically stick to their narrow focus on Chinese characters.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for Mandarin field language-learners who listen to such ones, Chinese characters are so complex and haphazardly designed that trying to learn them (and also remember them) is for many a possibly decades-long exercise in grinding, relatively high-effort\/low-reward n\u00e8iju\u01cen<\/i><\/span>\n(n\u00e8i\u00b7ju\u01cen\ninner \u00b7 rolling \u2192<\/span> [involution]<\/span>\n\u5185\u5377\n\u5167\u5377\/\u6372<\/span>)<\/span>. Because of that, many more than necessary have dropped out, and the talented\/stubborn few who persevere to attain some proficiency with Mandarin speech this way can be said to have done so in spite of<\/em> the characters, at least as much as they have done so because of<\/em> the characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything Was Futile\u201d<\/h4>\n

Those caught up in getting ahead in this human world ruled by Satan indeed experience the truth of Solomon\u2019s words at Ecclesiastes 1:14<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\nI saw all the works that were done under the sun,
\nAnd look! everything was futile, a chasing after the wind.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thankfully, God also inspired Solomon to record these words at Ecclesiastes 12:13<\/a> that tell us what actually does give meaning and purpose to our lives:<\/p>\n

\nThe conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the true God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole obligation of man.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n*<\/strong> According to Wikipedia,<\/p>\n

\nSixth Tone<\/i><\/strong> is an online magazine owned by the Shanghai United Media Group, a state media company controlled by the Shanghai committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is published in English from China, and its readership is intended for people in Western countries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It appears, though, that Sixth Tone<\/i> is not purely China-boosting political propaganda. Vincent Ni, a senior journalist at the BBC World Service in London, commented<\/a> as follows:<\/p>\n

\nMainstream outlets such as the BBC often cite Sixth Tone<\/i> as their source when reporting on Chinese social stories\u2026 For foreign journalists, it has also shown a diverse and authentic side of China that rarely received much attention elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

The success of Sixth Tone<\/i> might be explained by the bigger change happening in China\u2019s media scene over the past few years. Although the Communist Party has intensified its control, it has also allowed many forms of media entrepreneurship. Anecdotally, this is, in part, because of a lack of impact overseas by traditional Chinese party-owned newspapers.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

Nowadays, an investment in media is not something that can solely be done by the government. Private capital has also joined the game, and these firms are making profits.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

This is a significant change in China\u2019s media scene. While few would be able to fight the Communist Party\u2019s stringent and increasingly sophisticated censorship rules, the abundance of funding has liberated Chinese journalists who have long been complaining about a lack of freedom and resources. These days, journalists working in start-ups say they have greater freedom to report on topics that would not be possible in well-established traditional media<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I have found information on Sixth Tone<\/i> that helps us to understand some of the things that people in China are concerned about. Perhaps such information can help us as we talk to people from China in our ministry.<\/p>\n

\n

Update, 2026-03-15:<\/strong> While the above may have been true when it was posted in 2021, it seems that the situation for Sixth Tone<\/i> has changed since then. The Wikipedia page<\/a> for Sixth Tone<\/i> now says:<\/p>\n

\nIn 2022, following the sudden lifting of China’s prolonged zero-COVID measures, Sixth Tone<\/i> published a year-in-review feature highlighting key terms like “baby bust,” “housing crisis,” “gender violence,” and “COVID”.[source]<\/a><\/sup> [source]<\/a><\/sup> This feature, deemed as being critical to the country’s COVID policy, faced criticism from China nationalists who accused the outlet of having an editorial bias akin to Western media, citing its frequent reception of international awards from The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) as proof. In response, Shanghai authorities requested senior editors to engage in self-reflection. Consequently, the outlet stopped submitting entries for international awards like SOPA due to fear of repercussions.[source]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In 2023, the publication had new management installed following repeated attacks by nationalists on Weibo.[source]<\/a><\/sup>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, while the Sixth Tone<\/i> article mentioned and quoted in this post is still online and apparently unchanged, readers may want to keep in mind that Sixth Tone<\/i> has more recently been forced to project \u2018the image of a lovable China.\u2019<\/a> ^<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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