显眼包

What does 显眼包 mean?

A 显眼包 is a person, or even an animal or object, that grabs attention in a goofy, slightly embarrassing but endearing way: the coworker who dances at the party, the friend who wears the loudest outfit, the pet that always hams it up for the camera. Online it is neutral to positive and usually said with a laugh, close to English “class clown”, “show-off” or “extra”. Even museums and brands have used it to describe quirky-looking artifacts or products. It can be self-applied too, as in “I'm the 显眼包 of the group”.

Where does 显眼包 come from?

It developed from the dialect word 现眼包 (roughly “someone who makes a spectacle of themselves”), found in several northern and southwestern Chinese dialects, which was mildly negative. In 2023 livestreams and short videos popularized the softer spelling 显眼包, and 《咬文嚼字》 (Yaowen Jiaozi) put it on its 2023 top ten buzzwords list.

How to use 显眼包

• 他在年会上跳舞，真是个显眼包。
  Tā zài niánhuì shang tiàowǔ, zhēn shì gè xiǎn yǎn bāo.
  He danced at the company's annual party; what a show-off goofball.
• 这只鹦鹉是全动物园最大的显眼包。
  Zhè zhī yīngwǔ shì quán dòngwùyuán zuì dà de xiǎn yǎn bāo.
  This parrot is the biggest attention-seeker in the whole zoo.