Ministry of State Security WeChat 国家安全部微信公众号 public account 2026-04-28

https://app.xinhuanet.com/news/article.html?articleId=20260428b9c2ef54d8a242738d84821a7ce63aba

Translated by Claude via Sinocism.com

When "if you can't keep grinding, just lie flat" appears repeatedly online, and when "slacking off is the optimal solution" floods screen after screen, young people in the public discourse environment can hardly avoid feeling lost. But faced with this onslaught of negative sentiment, we must keep our eyes sharp and minds clear, and stay alert to the complex public-opinion traps hidden behind these seemingly ordinary "lying flat" arguments.

当"卷不动就躺平"频繁见诸网络，当"摆烂是最优解"反复刷屏，身处舆论场的青年难免陷入迷茫。但面对扑面而来的消极情绪，我们必须擦亮双眼、保持清醒，警惕这些看似平常的"躺平"论调背后暗藏的复杂舆论陷阱。

Be on guard! The infiltrating hand behind the "lying flat" rhetoric

警惕！"躺平"话术背后的渗透黑手

Young people are the future of the nation, and they are also a key target for ideological infiltration by foreign anti-China hostile forces. In recent years, foreign anti-China hostile forces have leveraged online platforms to deliberately amplify social anxieties, distort interpretations of development problems, and continuously play up negative concepts such as "effort is useless" and "those who strive lose out." They attempt to manufacture negative emotions in order to elevate individual hardships into group antagonism, leading young people to be misled and swept along without realizing it, thereby dissolving the conviction to strive among Chinese youth and even shaking the value foundations of society.

青年是国家的未来，也是境外反华敌对势力意识形态渗透的重点目标。近年来，境外反华敌对势力借助网络平台，刻意放大社会焦虑，歪曲解读发展问题，不断渲染"努力无用""奋斗吃亏"等消极观念，试图通过制造负面情绪，将个体困境上升为群体对立，让青年在不知不觉中被误导、被裹挟，进而消解我国青年的奋斗信念，甚至动摇社会的价值根基。

Numerous cases show that anti-China hostile forces are holding the "lying flat" banner aloft and "working hard" to corrode the thinking of Chinese youth. State security agencies have found in their work that one foreign organization has funded various anti-China media outlets and think tanks to manufacture narratives such as "striving = being exploited" and "class solidification = effort is useless"; another foreign organization has heavily funded "lying flat influencers" to mass-produce short videos pushing themes like "lying flat is justice" and "anti-involution = anti-exploitation," systematically carrying out "lying flat brainwashing."

诸多案例显示，反华敌对势力高举"躺平"旗帜，正"努力"地侵蚀中国青年的思想。国家安全机关工作发现，某境外组织资助各类反华媒体、智库，炮制"奋斗=被剥削""阶层固化=努力无用"等叙事；某境外组织大力资助"躺平网红"，批量生产"躺平即正义""反内卷=反剥削"短视频，系统性开展"躺平洗脑"。

What makes this all the more ironic is that while inciting us to "lie flat," they themselves are working off their feet. In recent years, the countries in question have rolled out a series of economic bills, revitalization projects, and talent programs, even poaching global talent at high salaries. Clearly, they have never accepted "lying flat" themselves; they only want our youth to lie flat, so that they can hand over our development dividends, our strategic opportunities, and the future of our nation on a platter.

更讽刺的是，在煽动我们"躺平"时，他们自己正忙得脚不沾地。近年来，有关国家推出系列经济法案、振兴工程、人才计划等，甚至高薪挖角全球人才。可以看出他们从来不认同"躺平"，他们只希望我们的青年"躺平"，将我们的发展红利、战略机遇、民族未来拱手相让。

Breaking the trap! Reject the public-opinion swarm, live a rational life

破局！拒绝舆论裹挟，过好理性人生

In today's era, rational judgment and independent thinking are increasingly precious amid the flood of "information explosion." Faced with the negative rhetoric saturating the internet, young people must learn to discern rationally, watching out for "exaggerated" and "cherry-picking" arguments, watching out for "information cocoons" that blind their eyes, and watching out for "survivorship bias" that magnifies isolated cases. They should not blindly follow, should not place trust in one-sided sources, and should maintain clear and independent judgment amid the noise of competing voices.

当今时代，理性判断与独立思考在"信息爆炸"的洪流中愈显珍贵。面对充斥网络的消极言论，广大青年要学会理性甄别，警惕"言过其实""以偏概全"的论调，警惕"信息茧房"蒙蔽双眼，警惕"幸存者偏差"放大个案，不盲从、不偏信，在众声喧哗中保持清醒独立的判断力。

Young comrades need not make an either-or choice within the false binary of "involution or lying flat"; rather, they should look for opportunities based on their own circumstances and do every task well at their own pace, with their feet on the ground. From young scholars on the front lines of scientific research, to young cadres rooted at the grassroots; from returning entrepreneurs throwing themselves into rural revitalization, to new-employment groups hustling day and night, they are pouring out their sweat and shining in their respective posts, defining youth through striving and creating value through taking on responsibility. Countless young people are proving through their actions that life's brilliance can only be written through hard work.

青年同志不必在"内卷还是躺平"的伪命题中作非此即彼的选择，而应立足自身实际寻找机会，以自己的节奏脚踏实地地做好每一件事。从科研一线的年轻学者，到扎根基层的青年干部；从投身乡村振兴的返乡创业者，到日夜奔波的新就业群体，他们在各自的岗位上挥洒汗水、发光发热，用奋斗定义青春，用担当创造价值。无数青年用行动证明，人生的精彩只能靠实干书写。