韭菜

• Pinyin: jiǔ cài
• Hanzi breakdown: 韭菜 (Chinese chives) -> people who keep being harvested for profit.

Meaning

Ordinary people who are repeatedly exploited for profit, especially investors or consumers. It implies they are harvested again and again.

韭菜 is common in finance, marketing, and consumer criticism. It can be self-mocking, but calling others 韭菜 can sound contemptuous.

Examples

1. 别盲目跟风，小心当韭菜。 Don't blindly follow the crowd, or you might end up as 韭菜.
2. 这项目像是专割韭菜的。 This project looks like one that just exists to cut 韭菜.
3. 我又买贵了，感觉自己是韭菜。 I overpaid again; I feel like 韭菜.

Usage Guide

Context: investing, shopping, social media

Tone: cynical, self-mocking, critical

Do Say

• 别被营销带节奏当韭菜。（Do not let marketing turn you into an easy target.）
• 新手投资者容易被叫韭菜。（Beginner investors are often called chives.）

Don't Say

• 用韭菜嘲笑受害者。（Avoid blaming people who were exploited.）

Common Mistakes

• Thinking it means vegetable only; in slang it often means exploited people.

Origin & History

Chinese chives regrow after being cut, making them a metaphor for repeatedly harvested people.

Cultural Context

Era: 2010s onward

Generation: Investors and internet users

Social background: Finance, e-commerce, and consumer communities

Regional notes: A major Mainland metaphor for exploitation by markets or hype.