內卷

Chinese

		inside; inner; internal inside; inner; internal; within; interior	chapter; examination paper; to roll (up) chapter; examination paper; to roll (up); to sweep up; to carry on
trad. (內卷/內捲)		內	卷/捲
simp. (内卷)		内	卷

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Neijuan

Wikipedia

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Calque of English involution, from its Latin roots. This sense was coined in Agricultural Involution: The Processes of Ecological Change in Indonesia (1963) by Clifford Geertz, as an antonym of evolution, where Geertz observed Javanese and Balinese rice farmers failed to transit from labor-intensive farming to capital-intensive farming, but rather developing intensive competition that does not increase productivity.

內卷

(economics, social sciences, of a society or nation) to stop developing or progressing despite intense inner competition
(neologism, slang) to be in a state of increased competition for limited resources, requiring great effort to stay ahead
(neologism, slang) to study harder or work longer as a result of intense competition among peers
- 2024, 鄧曦澤, “中國高校過度擴招與社會內卷化”, in Lianhe Zaobao‎^[1]:
  
  但現實是，大學生越來越多，好崗位又非常有限，大學生不得不降低預期，放下身段，被迫內卷。 [MSC, trad.]
  但现实是，大学生越来越多，好岗位又非常有限，大学生不得不降低预期，放下身段，被迫内卷。 [MSC, simp.]
  Dàn xiànshí shì, dàxuéshēng yuè lái yuè duō, hǎo gǎngwèi yòu fēicháng yǒuxiàn, dàxuéshēng bùdébù jiàngdī yùqī, fàngxià shēnduàn, bèipò nèijuǎn. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)