My Buzzword Woes：內捲(內卷)

 The term "內捲 (nèijuǎn)" in simplified Chinese is written as "内卷".

"卷" can be used as a measure word for things rolled into a cylindrical or coiled shape, such as: 一卷布 (a roll of fabric).

“捲” as a verb describing the action of rolling something up, for example: 把布捲起來(to roll up the fabric).

When I first encountered this term, which was in traditional Chinese

My mind immediately thought of the physical object being rolled up.

So, when I saw 

(競爭 = compete)

The first thing that came to my mind was▼

Then I learned that the term originates from China and is used primarily to describe the phenomenon of "meaningless internal over-competition." 

More specifically, it refers to a situation in which people are forced to expend increasing amounts of effort to compete for the same goal within a limited environment or with fixed resources. Despite the increased effort, there is no positive outcome. Instead, it often results in inefficiency and mental exhaustion.

Imagine that Coffee Shop A attracted more customers by offering free Wi-Fi. Coffee Shop B quickly followed suit. To gain a competitive edge, Coffee Shop C upped the ante by providing free snacks and newspapers and even offering a pet-sitting service. 

Eventually, all shops were required to offer these overly complex and expensive services. Yet, the price of coffee and the total customer base in the area remained unchanged. This resulted in continuously rising costs but shrinking overall profits.

They have no choice but to maintain these practices to keep their current customer base. Withdrawing them would mean going out of business. None of the three shops benefited from this competition. They only found themselves worse off collectively due to this costly "race to the bottom."