A word has gone viral on the Internet in China. It may sound vulgar and offensive but is widely accepted. From migrant workers to white-collar employees, it has mesmerized millions - even celebrities have rushed to embrace it. The term is diaosi.

Youth icon writer Han Han has described himself as "a pure rural diaosi from Shanghai's suburbs". And members of the pop group Mayday have identified themselves as "diaosi once off stage".

Originally it was a word about male private parts, in the sense of being the lowest of the low. Now it is used to describe underprivileged people who come from a background without connections, and who don't have a promising career or social status. Surprisingly the phrase has now become something of a badge of honor for youths dwarfed amid swift-changing urban skylines.

It is believed that the term originated on an Internet bulletin board set up by fans of the retired Chinese soccer player Li Yi. Those who didn't like him used it as a term of abuse against Li's fans, who accepted the term. It soon struck a chord with other Internet users and mushroomed beyond the cyberspace to become a buzzword of modern-day China.

In a sense a diaosi is a "nobody", banished by society - in contrast to "somebody". The seemingly pitiful state is not self-imposed, but a result of limited choice. A diaosi is a kind of "loser" in a competitive culture where everyone strives to be No 1. Yet their failure should be attributed more to external impediments, such as lack of opportunities and a level playing field, rather than personal weakness.

A typical diaosi is a man in his 20s or 30s with no influential family background who struggles to survive in big cities. His level of education does not make much difference, as he finds himself bogged down in hard and monotonous work with no respect from others and little hope of career advancement. He gasps for air under the burden of rocketing house prices and the soaring costs of living, which makes even the dream of a better future a luxury. He yearns for a soul partner but often suffers the "pangs of despised love". He aspires to succeed but the ladder of ascendancy is forever out of reach. He is one of the Toms, Dicks and Harrys that surround us, and in reality most of those who genuinely are diaosi are marginalized, humiliated and insulted.

Yet it has become a fashion for youngsters to identify themselves with this term of self-debasement. Squeezed between the pressures of their lives and social injustice, young people are left with no other choice but to "seek consolation through self-mockery". It is their special way to let go.

It reflects a "collective sense of angst" in a modern society, according to Zhu Chunyang, an associate professor at Fudan University, who adds that through the Internet, this sense of angst has been magnified to include almost everyone.

Yet from a more positive perspective, the craze to seek self-demotion reflects Chinese people's sense of humor. In a nation with a 5,000-year history, we have never been short of it. We might be defeatist but we are also humorous.

Self-debasement is just a way of looking at life. The Chinese people tend to see life as a huge farce and human beings as mere puppets in the hands of fate. Writer Lin Yutang once marveled at the ability of Chinese people to recount their own failures and embarrassments.

"Humor often takes a tolerant view of vice and evil, and instead of condemning them, laughs at them," Lin said.

And there are plenty of opportunities to laugh at them in our daily lives.

A series of food scandals have shown we have been fed with melamine-tainted milk, clenbuterol-contaminated pork, cadmium-laced rice, and chromium-coated capsules, but we see it as the periodic table of chemical elements, a chance to "live and learn". When we find ourselves victims of pollution, corruption and systemic flaws, we gibe that "all things are possible in this land of wonders".

We are the descendants of Ah Q, a figure created by the writer Lu Xun, who could always find peace of mind when humiliated and hurt, by thinking "it's as if I were beaten up by my son".

This is the essence of diaosi.

The author is a writer with China Daily. E-mail: huangxiangyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/05/2012 page8)