抽象

What does 抽象 mean?

In internet slang, 抽象 describes anything absurd, baffling or nonsensical: a strange video, a chaotic comment section, a friend's inexplicable decision. '太抽象了' ('so abstract') can mean 'I don't get this at all' or 'this is hilariously surreal', depending on the tone. 搞抽象 or 玩抽象 means deliberately creating or performing that kind of random, meme-heavy humor. Many young people use it as a pressure valve, blowing off stress through deliberate silliness. In English it's close to calling something 'unhinged', 'cursed' or 'peak randomness'.

Where does 抽象 come from?

The slang sense goes back to game-livestreaming communities around 2015–2016, where streamers and fans shouted '太抽象了' at chaotic moments. Its early use carried a rather edgy tone, but over time it softened into a general label for absurd humor. In 2024 搞抽象 went mainstream on Douyin, Bilibili and Xiaohongshu; it was included in 语言文字周报's 2024 top ten buzzwords list and chosen as one of Xiaohongshu's keywords of 2024.

How to use 抽象

• 这个视频太抽象了，我笑了半天。
  Zhège shìpín tài chōuxiàng le, wǒ xiào le bàntiān.
  This video is so absurd, I couldn't stop laughing.
• 他又在群里搞抽象了。
  Tā yòu zài qún li gǎo chōuxiàng le.
  He's posting random nonsense in the group chat again.