烂梗重启

• Pinyin: làn gěng chóng qǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 烂梗 is a bad stale joke; 重启 means restart or reboot.

Meaning

An old, weak, or stale joke gets revived again.

烂梗重启 is ironic: people notice that a joke everyone thought was dead has returned in a new post, variety show, comment thread, or friend group. It can be amused or annoyed depending on delivery.

Examples

1. 评论区又开始接龙，烂梗重启了。 The comment section started doing chain replies again; the stale joke has been revived.
2. 这个烂梗重启得很突然，我居然笑了。 That stale joke came back so suddenly I actually laughed.
3. 烂梗重启可以，但别整场都靠它。 Bringing back a stale joke is fine, but don't rely on it for the whole set.

Usage Guide

Context: comments, memes, friends

Tone: ironic, amused

Do Say

• 这条弹幕一出，烂梗重启成功。（Good for a revived stale joke.）
• 烂梗重启带一点自嘲和嫌弃。（Clarifies the mixed tone.）

Don't Say

• 把经典台词都叫烂梗重启。（Only use it when the joke feels stale or low-effort.）

Common Mistakes

• Missing the negative 烂; the phrase is not just any meme revival.

Origin & History

From 烂梗, a bad or overused joke, and 重启, reboot, borrowed from tech and media language.

Cultural Context

Era: 2020s

Generation: Gen Z and younger Millennials, now common in broader online speech

Social background: Students, young professionals, and social media users

Regional notes: Used in Mainland Chinese comment sections, group chats, short-video captions, and casual joke reviews.