Diaosi

Diaosi (Chinese: 屌丝; pinyin: Diǎo Sī; lit. 'dick hair') is a Chinese Internet slang and buzzword, often used in a sarcastic and self-deprecating manner, that refers to a young beta male of mediocre sexual attractiveness and low social standing. Diaosi are often portraited as burnt-out salarymen, at-risk gig workers, poor students or NEETs who are born into a humble working class family with no social connections (guanxi) and upward mobility, and personally having little disposable income/savings, poor career advancement and no private ownership of cars, own housing and economic security. The term has become somewhat of a synonym for underdogs, who struggle hard against the constraints of their low upbringing, workplace bullying and the social stigma associated with poverty trap. The slang was coined in October 2011 on Baidu Tieba and the meme soon began to spread across the Chinese internet. As the term went viral, Chinese youth (regardless of gender) from all backgrounds began to embrace it. It is slowly transforming into a descriptor of the ordinary Chinese commoner who faces everyday struggles and hardships, especially in the dating market where their mediocre socioeconomic status or low self-esteem diminishes their sexual market values and predisposes them to exploitation from dominating or even predatory spouses (known as laonü) who often demand asymmetrically high brideprice and property arrangement. Socially, diaosi also has a lot of similarities with the Japanese term otaku, although the word zhainan (Chinese: 宅男; lit. 'house[-dwelling] man') is more of a direct equivalent with the latter.