When I first saw this word, I was shocked: what exactly was the poster touching? You see, the character "觸" (chù) is often an abbreviation for "接觸" (contact) , which means "to touch." Meanwhile, "爛" (làn) is usually an adjective describing something rotting, like a "爛蘋果" (rotten apple).
This is a post on Threads. The poster felt a deep resonance with this drama clip, so they reposted it with the comment "觸爛" (chù làn). ▼
"觸爛" is a Taiwanese Gen Z slang term that is extremely active on social media, particularly on Threads.
Interestingly, the "觸" here doesn't come from the Chinese word for "感觸" (feeling); instead, it originates as a homophone for the English word "True." Initially, Gen Z used "True" or "So True" to respond to spot-on, irrefutable facts. Later, this was transliterated to "觸" (meaning "real" or "indeed").
In Taiwanese slang, "爛" is a customary hyperbolic suffix indicating an extreme degree, similar to saying "to death" (e.g., "笑爛" ( laughing to death). Therefore, "觸" (True) combined with "爛" (Extreme) became "觸爛."
Although the root is "True," it is often used to describe situations where one's inner thoughts are perfectly articulated. That sensation of "this is so true that it deeply touches me" has evolved into meaning "my heart is moved beyond words."
That is why we see the poster leaving the comment '觸爛' when reposting this video clip. So, rest assured, it’s not about anything rotting, but about a feeling that hits deep.
Language is fascinating, isn't it? Is there a slang word in your language that sounds negative but is actually positive? I'd love to hear about it! 
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