Lying Flat
Etymology
A translation of the Chinese 躺平 (tǎng píng), literally "lying flat." The idea went viral on the Chinese internet in 2021 after an online post argued that lying flat was a form of resistance to the pressure of overwork culture. Censored and criticized at home, the phrase traveled abroad as a label for a broader generational refusal to grind.
noun phrase · /LY-ing FLAT/
A stance of deliberately doing the bare minimum and opting out of relentless competition, ambition, and consumption.
What it names
A name for principled disengagement as a response to a system that seems to demand endless striving for shrinking rewards — quitting the race rather than the job.
Example
Priced out of housing and burned out by overtime, a lot of young workers are simply lying flat.
Related idea
Boreout is an involuntary condition inflicted by an empty job; lying flat is a chosen philosophy of doing less on purpose.