THE term “involution” or curling inward became a common slang in China in the 2020s, to reflect excessive competition in social and economic life, where students, workers and even business leaders felt overworked, stressed and being unable to get out of huge external and internal stresses. The term was coined by sociologists and anthropologists to describe conditions in rural societies whereby increasing labour inputs did not seem to yield tangible benefits.

Source: The Star December 27, 2025 01:33 UTC