梗
gěng
Meme / running joke — an internet joke, reference, or catchphrase that people repeatedly use.
Origin
Originally from 哏 (gén, a comedic punchline in crosstalk). Evolved to cover all internet memes and viral references.
Examples
I don't get this 梗, can someone explain?
这个梗已经过时了。(This meme is already outdated.)
Related terms
哈基米
hā jī mǐ
A phonetic, essentially meaningless meme sound ('Hajimi') that can mean a cat (especially a cute orange one), cuteness or playful chaos, an all-purpose nonsense exclamation, or genuinely nothing — its power being that it doesn't insist on a meaning.
废话文学
fèi huà wén xué
'Nonsense literature' / 'empty-talk literature' — a style of online writing built from statements that are grammatically perfect and confident in tone but completely empty of information, looping back on themselves or stating the obvious as if revealing a deep truth.
YYDS (永远的神)
yǒng yuǎn de shén
GOAT (Greatest of All Time). Used to praise someone or something as the absolute best.
真香
zhēn xiāng
Smells good / So good — used when someone ends up loving something they previously said they'd never do.