Chinese Tech Workers Push Back Against 996 工時太變態 中國科技新貴拒絕過勞

996 is the new work culture in China. It’s shorthand for the schedule that has become the norm at many Chinese firms: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. The term came from the technology sector a few years ago, when Chinese internet companies started to grow and compete with their Western counterparts, mainly in Silicon Valley.

However, many tech workers are resisting this culture, especially in 2021 after two workers at a giant e-commerce company allegedly died of overwork. Some companies have therefore taken steps to improve the work-life balance, while some young people have embraced “tangping,” or “lie flat,” to opt out of the rat race.

友善讓你懂 │ 解說：

知道什麼是996嗎？這是中國工作文化的新常態，意思就是早上 9 點到晚上 9 點，每週工作六天。這樣現象大概從五年前開始，在科技業出現，當時中國大型網路公司，例如騰訊、阿里巴巴等，開始積極發展，並企圖和矽谷的科技巨頭展開競爭。

儘管中國網路公司的確快速成長，甚至成為世界龍頭，但許多中國的科技工作者正在抵制這種病態的工作文化。尤其在 2021 年，傳出某家大型電子商務公司的兩名員工過勞死。一些公司開始採取措施，要改善員工的工作與生活平衡，而一些年輕人則轉而擁抱「躺平主義」，乾脆選擇不競爭，佛系過日子。

輕鬆帶著走 │ 學習：

Rat race字面上意思就是老鼠在滾輪上不停跑著，引申出的意思一種人們彼此競爭生活方式，尤其是為了追名逐利，但就像老鼠一樣，又累又徒勞。

例句：

• They quit the rat race in order to live a simple life. 為了過上清靜的生活，他們退出競爭。
• He decided to get out of the rat race, and went to work on a farm. 他決定退出競爭，去農場工作

其他單字：

• compete 競爭
• resist 反抗

相關補充：

• died from overwork 過勞死