Neijuan

Neijuan, meaning “inside-curling,” describes a Chinese trend where increased effort, complexity, or participation produces little or no gain in productivity, efficiency, or collective benefit. The term originates from Alexander Goldenweiser’s 1937 concept of involution and Clifford Geertz’s application to Indonesian rice farming. Since 2020 it has become internet slang for a hyper-competitive culture that forces people to work harder with minimal marginal improvement.