搬砖

• Pinyin: bān zhuān
• Hanzi breakdown: 搬 (carry/move) + 砖 (bricks) -> laboring brick by brick for income.

Meaning

搬砖 means doing hard, routine work to earn a living.

It can refer to manual labor or, jokingly, ordinary office tasks and repetitive paid work. The tone is usually self-mocking and grounded in the need to make money.

Examples

1. 假期结束，明天继续搬砖。 The holiday is over; tomorrow it's back to 搬砖.
2. 他把写报表自嘲成搬砖。 He jokingly calls writing reports 搬砖.
3. 别用搬砖看不起体力劳动。 Don't look down on manual labour by calling it 搬砖.

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, daily life, self-mockery

Tone: practical, weary, self-deprecating

Do Say

• 上班前自嘲去搬砖很自然。（It fits going to work.）
• 重复任务也可说搬砖。（It fits routine labor.）

Don't Say

• 用搬砖贬低真实工人。（Avoid class contempt.）

Common Mistakes

• Do not assume 搬砖 always means literal construction work in slang.

Origin & History

The literal act of carrying bricks became a metaphor for repetitive labor and earning money.

Cultural Context

Era: 2020s

Generation: Broad casual and online speakers

Social background: Workers, students, freelancers

Regional notes: Common across Mainland China.