偷感
tōu gǎn
Thief vibes — the feeling of doing normal things (eating alone, going to the gym) while looking around nervously like you're doing something wrong.
Origin
Went viral in 2024 on Xiaohongshu. Describes social anxiety where you feel like everyone is watching and judging you, even when you're just existing. The opposite of 松弛感.
Examples
I have major 偷感 eating alone at a restaurant.
去健身房偷感很重。(I feel like a thief going to the gym.)
Related terms
红温
hóng wēn
Literally 'red temperature' — slang for losing emotional control, getting so angry, frustrated, agitated, or embarrassed that your face flushes red; the closest English equivalent is gaming's 'getting tilted.'
绝绝子
jué jué zǐ
Absolutely amazing / Absolutely terrible — an emphatic expression that can be positive or negative depending on context.
社死
shè sǐ
Social death — an extremely embarrassing moment that makes you want to disappear.
EMO/emo
emo
Feeling down, sad, or melancholic — used when experiencing a wave of negative emotions.