😹 Cute kitten meme in Chinese
Today we’re breaking down an interesting meme shared by a famous blogger on Weibo.
I just couldn’t stop smiling the moment I saw this meme.
Do you know what it says?
Step 1: Pre-test
Try to read the text above without looking up the words.
Pre-testing and it’s proven to enhance memory by focusing your attention (even if you can’t read much).
Students who pre-test learn significantly more compared to those who don’t, even if they feel like they “bomb” the pre-test.
Step 2: Study
Study the characters, pinyin, and translation below. Read the words out loud to improve your pronunciation (shadowing). Learn more about how to shadow here.
wǒ yào gǎi biàn shì jiè
我要改变世界
我要改變世界
I want to change the world
wǒ yào bǎ tā biàn de gèng làn
我要把它变得更烂
我要把它變得更爛
I want to make it worse
*Do you get it? A cute little kitten puts on a determined expression and expresses the desire to change the world, but it actually wants to make it worse.
The point of this meme is that the kitten’s attitude of intentionally underperforming (摆烂, bǎi làn) resonates with the mindset of many Chinese young people.
In China, the massive population size results in young people facing a series competitive pressures. Despite their initial enthusiasm, the pressure-filled environment eventually leads most of them to become negative.
Vocabulary List
Organize all your vocabulary in one hub and learn Chinese faster here.
Step 3: Repetition + Retrieval
Many learners stop here, but they miss the most important step: repetition and active recall/retrieval (also proven to enhance memory).
Read the characters out loud without audio. Focus on getting the correct tones/pronunciation.
Try not to look at the pinyin, but use it like training wheels if you forget.
Repeat until you don’t need to look at the pinyin.
wǒ yào gǎi biàn shì jiè
我要改变世界
我要改變世界
wǒ yào bǎ tā biàn de gèng làn
我要把它变得更烂
我要把它變得更爛
Step 4: Final “Test”
Final stretch. Re-read the original text again.
Congrats! You just read some authentic Chinese text!
This is the same system I used to learn authentic Chinese and build fluency fast.
Join me again next week for another in-depth analysis!
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The Language Learner OS: The all-in-one hub to help me organize all my notes, track my progress, stay more productive, and learn Chinese faster and more effectively.
The Monthly Signs: Dive deeper into these lessons with interactive vocab lists, flashcards, study tracker, and more.
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