When trying fails and giving up fails, the "45-degree living" trend is becoming more and more popular among young people in the country of a billion people.
Initially, many young netizens used the "45-degree state" to mock themselves. They compared life to a 90-degree angle, with the upward angle representing intense striving, "lying flat" at 0 degrees representing giving up, laziness, "letting life be", and 45 degrees being the most uncomfortable when stuck in the middle, "can't stand up straight, can't lie flat". It refers to young people who are dissatisfied with reality, denying their own struggles, and disappointed with future prospects.
"I hate the recession but can't escape it, so between the two states of 90 degrees - striving hard and 0 degrees - giving up completely, I choose to face life with a state of 45 degrees in between," said Kevin, 25, in Fujian.
For the past two years, Kevin has been trying to find a job but has not been successful. He realized that a college degree alone is not enough unless he graduates from a prestigious school. He decided to pursue a master's degree. "I don't want to be mediocre, I want to prove my ability but I don't have the opportunity, so continuing my studies is a way to hold out, a compromise," Kevin said.
There are many friends who are also taking graduate school exams like Kevin, or there are also friends who have found jobs but the salary is only 3,000 yuan (about 10 million VND), not enough to live on, but they maintain a "half-hearted" state because of food and clothing.
A young man plays video games in a 200 yuan per month rented room. Photo: Udn
Since the summer of 2023, the topics " Are you a 45-degree youth? " and " How to face a 45-degree life " have repeatedly become "hot searches" (most searched) and created heated discussions.
The Youth Development Survey of Renmin University of China at the end of 2023 showed that 28.5% of young people live "45 degrees", 12.8% lie flat, and 58.7% live 90 degrees.
The survey concluded that "seeing no hope and future" is probably the reason why young Chinese people's opinion changed from 90 degrees to 45 degrees, and finally to 0 degrees. The main reason is that after the pandemic, the economic environment is not good, the financial situation is declining, and job opportunities are decreasing.
In the recently published list of civil servants in Chaoyang District, Beijing, there is an untenured "urban management" job, whose applicant is a PhD in nuclear physics from Peking University, causing a wave of controversy among the public. A small town in Suichang (Lishui, Zhejiang) wants to recruit 24 positions, but there is fierce competition with candidates who are all PhDs and masters from Fudan University and Zhejiang University - top universities in China.
Not only do young Chinese face difficulties in finding jobs, they also face unfair resource allocation, which makes them lose motivation to work. On January 18, social media in this country spread the story of a young man who graduated with a master's degree from Northwest University (Shaanxi Province) and was hired as a history teacher at Anfeng Middle School in Dongtai City, Jiangsu Province, but was fired less than half a year later. This incident caused widespread controversy, with public opinion speculating that it was most likely because someone else with more support had taken his place.
Liu, a media worker in Guangzhou, said the concept of “45-degree youth” resonates in Chinese society because it reflects the loss of purpose in life among contemporary youth. On the one hand, they hope to stand out from the crowd; on the other hand, they cannot really cope with the high intensity of competition and social injustice, so they simply choose between the two extremes of “lying down and standing up”.
On the other hand, traditional Chinese culture and family expectations place high demands on individual achievement, and under economic pressure, rising housing prices and other objective factors, it is difficult for young people to completely give up competition and pursuit. Especially those born after 2000 do not have enough resources or mental state to be able to "lie down" completely, so even if they want to, they cannot "lie down".
Dr. Xu Quan, University of Hong Kong, said that the "45-degree life" is actually the state in which young people in Chinese society feel lost. This situation is somewhat similar to the anxiety of many young people in Europe during the rise of industrial capitalism, they cannot find their position and coordinates in the new era.
The dream of young Chinese people basically comes from the reform and opening up. The previous economy gave them the hope of making money and thinking that if they worked hard, they would have the opportunity to advance. But in the current context, when the situation has completely changed, social stratification is getting deeper, the previous dare-to-think-dare-to-do mentality has turned into a conservative mentality of trying to keep their jobs, and the struggle of young people has also changed.
"This group of 45-degree people transformed from 90 degrees because they realized the reality: striving is useless," said Dr. Xu.
Young Chinese people line up to apply for jobs at a job fair. Photo: Udn
"The transition from 90 degrees to 45 degrees represents a denial of young people's ability to strive and disappointment in their own personal prospects; but going from 45 degrees to 0 degrees is a disappointment for the whole society and the country," Xu said.
Xia Zhuzhi, associate professor of sociology at Wuhan University, believes that the emergence and popularity of new words may correspond to a certain reality. The "45-degree" state of uncertainty has no way up or down, only in the middle, which reminds him of the concept of "middle class", which mainly refers to white-collar workers working in cities. Young people who have just graduated and just joined this group often have to bear a lot of pressure to buy a house, buy a car, and send their children to the best schools.
Xia Zhuzhi believes that in today's social reality, people's spirit can easily fall into a state of exhaustion, unable to stand or lie down. But he believes that in addition to understanding new languages, young people also need to be vigilant. When a word is born, becomes a trend and is mentioned too much, it can easily form a discourse trap.
Whether it's "standing upright," "lying flat," or "living at 45 degrees," these are actually psychological labels that public opinion assigns to society. "The emergence of new words can help us understand ourselves and society. But when we start applying them to ourselves or after we have this concept in our minds, we must always be vigilant and understand it clearly," Xia said.
Bao Nhien (According to Worldjournal )
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