冷暴力

• Pinyin: lěng bào lì
• Hanzi breakdown: 冷 (cold) + 暴力 (violence) -> harm through cold withdrawal.

Meaning

Emotional coldness, silent treatment, or withdrawal used in a harmful way.

It describes repeated ignoring, refusing communication, or freezing someone out. Because it is a serious label, use it carefully and avoid throwing it at every quiet mood.

Examples

1. 长期不回应消息，可能是冷暴力。 Not replying to messages for a long time may be a form of 冷暴力.
2. 别用冷暴力逼对方先低头。 Don't use 冷暴力 to force the other person to back down first.
3. 遇到冷暴力，要先保护自己的情绪。 If you run into 冷暴力, protect your own emotions first.

Usage Guide

Context: dating, family, advice, social media

Tone: serious, critical

Do Say

• 他每次冲突后都冷暴力，问题没解决。（Use for repeated harmful silence.）
• 如果遭遇冷暴力，可以寻求朋友支持。（Treat it seriously.）

Don't Say

• 把对方忙半天没回消息叫冷暴力。（One delay is not necessarily emotional abuse.）

Common Mistakes

• Overusing the term for ordinary quietness; 冷暴力 implies a damaging pattern.

Origin & History

A modern relationship and psychology term translating the idea of cold or passive emotional violence.

Cultural Context

Era: 2020s

Generation: Gen Z and Millennials, now broadly understood

Social background: Urban online speakers and lifestyle consumers

Regional notes: Used across Mainland China, especially on social platforms.