Course:ASIA319/2024/"Doing Grunt Work"（搬砖）
Introduction
The Chinese character “搬砖” (Pinyin: bān zhuān) is a popular slang word that literally means "move bricks". The literal meaning of brick-moving brings to mind images of construction workers moving bricks around a construction site, so the term often refers to hard, low-paid work and the mechanical repetition of something. 搬砖（bānzhuān）is often combined with words to form phrases such as 搬砖人, 游戏搬砖, 程序员搬砖, etc. Some people also use 搬砖（bānzhuān）as a kind of self-mockery, such as saying that they are 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）to laugh at their own work is boring and not well paid.
搬砖（bānzhuān）is not just an Internet term, it also reflects some social phenomena. In reality, 搬砖（bānzhuān）reflects the helpless choice of some people under economic pressure to do some low-paid and mechanical repetitive work. In the field of games, the phenomenon of 搬砖（bānzhuān）reflects the connection between the virtual economy and the real economy. Therefore, the term 搬砖（bānzhuān）reflects the current social problems of economy, employment, working environment and social values from a different perspective.
The genesis of the keyword
The origin of the term “搬砖” (moving bricks) can be traced back to traditional Chinese construction workers, which actually means manual laborers carrying bricks. In the early years, this type of manual labor was seen by many as a symbol of repetitive and uninteresting work. Therefore, it gradually took on the meaning of "hard work, not easy".[1] After entering the Internet age, the terminology of this apparently heavy labor has been transplanted into online culture. When young people tease themselves about their repetitive and mechanical work, they will use the term "moving bricks" to describe their laboriousness and helplessness. This not only implies that the work is hard but is also self-deprecating.
As time goes by, the word has been given more meanings. On the one hand, it reflects the negative attitude of some groups towards work pressure.[2] On the other hand, it connects the voices of different professionals in a humorous way, bringing emotional resonance.[3]
As 搬砖（bānzhuān）gradually becomes a popular term, its meaning is further expanded to cover "hard work" situations in different fields in the online world. In games, the act of players cashing in by completing tasks is also a kind of bricklaying behavior.[4] In the virtual currency market, for example, "bricklaying" has become a metaphor for arbitrage trading and earning profits.[5]
Glossary of its explicit dictionary meanings
Originally refers to manual labor in carrying bricks. Usually refers to heavy physical labor on a construction site. In the past, this type of work implied a life of hard work, low rewards, and slight hardship.
Pop Culture: In the context of the Internet, 搬砖（bānzhuān）has been given a layer of irony and self-deprecation. It is used to describe the hard, repetitive and boring work of modern life.
Emerging Scenarios: In virtual currency, 搬砖（bānzhuān）has become a metaphor for arbitrage, referring to the practice of buying low and selling high to earn the difference in price. In online games, "bricklaying" refers to earning gold through repetitive tasks and thus cashing in.
Evolution: In the early days, 搬砖（bānzhuān）referred purely to the act of labor. However, since the popularity of the Internet, the meaning has quickly changed and has been widely applied to the modern workplace. While it still retains the core concepts of hard work and labor, it has literally shifted away from traditional physical labor and has become a socially ironic symbol.
An elaboration of its variegated meanings, actual usages, and value-loaded implications
Application
搬砖（bānzhuān）is often used as a noun, adjective and verb, but their meanings are similar. 搬砖（bānzhuān）refers to hard work, the mechanical repetition of a certain task and low-paid work. A noun formed from it, such as 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）, refers to someone who does hard and poorly paid work. When 搬砖（bānzhuān）is used as an adjective, there are various ways of using it. For example, some people will say that they are 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）to make fun of themselves. Others use it to describe a social phenomenon, to refer to people who have to work hard for low pay to make a living. In this case, the term 搬砖（bānzhuān）carries a sympathetic tone. 搬砖（bānzhuān）is also used as a verb in some contexts, such as 游戏搬砖（yóuxìbānzhuān）. The 砖 here refer to the materials or items in the game. Therefore, the act of 搬砖（bānzhuān）in a game often refers to the player's behavior of trading in-game resources or items for money.
In contemporary Chinese culture, there is no specific antonym for 搬砖（bānzhuān）. Any expression that conveys the idea of doing an easy and well-paid job can be considered antonymous to 搬砖（bānzhuān）.
搬砖in Chinese Popular Culture: Multiple Applications and Meanings
搬砖人：Bricklayers
The literal meaning of 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）is a bricklayer, but its meaning changes in Internet slang. In Internet slang, 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）is closer in meaning to a wage earner, and it is more often used to describe people who do laborious work that is poorly paid (Xiao & Yin, 831).[6]
Some people sometimes make fun of themselves by calling themselves 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）. In recent years, humorous phrases for brick-movers have even appeared on the internet. For example, "Come on, 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）, the bricks you carry today are the building blocks of tomorrow's wealth, although I'm not sure when this brick will be turned into wealth". Or, "Every hardworking 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）is bringing beauty to the world". Such humorous phrases often carry a sense of self-comfort and self-reassurance in the midst of suffering.[7]
游戏搬砖：Moving Bricks in Games
游戏搬砖（yóuxìbānzhuān）is quite different from the traditional meaning of 搬砖（bānzhuān）. In the game, players obtain in-game resources such as gold coins and props through various means, and then trade these resources for real-world monetary gains. In other words, players perform a virtual "job" in the game and earn a reward through their own hard work and time investment.
There are many ways to do 游戏搬砖（yóuxìbānzhuān）. Some players will obtain valuable items and gold by constantly clearing dungeons and fighting monsters. Some players will focus on life skills such as gathering and crafting, producing valuable items for sale. Still others will take advantage of the game's market mechanism, buying low and selling high to earn a profit.[8]
程序员搬砖/编程也被称为搬砖：Programming
Sometimes, programmers' work is also referred to as 搬砖（bānzhuān）. There are three main reasons for this. The first is the repetitive nature of programming and the amount of work involved. When creating a new application or software, programmers often need to do a lot of basic coding work, such as setting up the environment and writing generic functions. These tasks require a lot of time and effort to complete, similar to the physical work of 搬砖（bānzhuān）. And in the later stages of a project, the optimization and debugging process also involves repeated testing and modification. The repetitive nature of this labor makes programming more of a physical and endurance challenge. The second reason is that the results of programming are clearly constructive. Programmers gradually build a huge program by gradually building the basic code, just as 搬砖（bānzhuān）can gradually build a wall. The third reason is that programming requires patience and care. It's like a construction worker building a building. This also has similarities to 搬砖（bānzhuān）.[9]
四川方言——搬砖：Moving Bricks in Szechuan Dialect
In Sichuan dialect, the phrase 搬砖（bānzhuān）can also be used to refer to playing mahjong. This is because mahjong tiles are similar in shape to bricks, both being rectangular. In Sichuan dialect, mahjong is called 砖, so 搬砖（bānzhuān）has become a slang term for playing mahjong. Not only that, the rules and process of playing mahjong are also similar to carrying bricks.
Counterparts of 搬砖 in Other Languages
English: Move brick
The English word 搬砖（bānzhuān）means "move brick". In some cases it can also refer to dry heavy physical work (e.g. work).[10]
Japanese: 骨の折れる仕事
“骨の折れる仕事”(Hone no oreru shigoto) means to work like a broken bone. This phrase is usually used to describe a job that is difficult and requires a lot of effort. This phrase is widely used on the Internet, especially to describe jobs that are hard, repetitive and not well paid. This is similar to the meaning and usage of 搬砖（bānzhuān）in Chinese.[11]
Korean: 급여체
급여체 (geub-yeoche) is the Chinese word for "salary style", mainly used in the workplace. It can also be translated as a brick carrier. This word means someone who does physical or repetitive work. Because the word emphasizes hard work and repetition, it has a similar meaning to the Chinese word for 搬砖（bānzhuān）.[12]
Social, cultural, and political problems
Social problems
The word 搬砖（bānzhuān）consist of the characters Ban 搬 (to move) and Zhuan 砖(bricks), implies the work is repetitive, tiring and not so well-paid. In the recent years, the word “搬砖（bānzhuān）” becomes an allusion for going to work for any occupation, not just restricted to construction workers doing grunt work. The word 搬砖（bānzhuān）can be generalized to everyone that receives wages. Going to work can be referred to 搬砖（bānzhuān）, even when the job only requires sitting in offices. Office workers also paid their effort to make money. However, the wages they receive often don’t match the hard work they put in.[3] In China the term 996 is used to describe the employment style requiring employees to work from 9 in the morning to 9 in the evening, for 6 days a week. Even so, often times the wages these workers receive is still little. As a form of mockery, these office workers and people of many other occupation also like to refer their jobs to 搬砖（bānzhuān）. Furthermore, the country's 调休 (tiáo xiū: compensated holidays) policy had sparked dissatisfaction among the large population of 打工人 (dǎ gōng rén: the working people). 打工人 (dǎ gōng rén) is another term 搬砖（bānzhuān）workers like to refer themselves as. It literally means the working labour but implies wage receiving employees. They are the population who work for their employers and receive salary from an employer.[13] 调休(tiáo xiū) is the policy that essentially cuts public holidays shorter by making everyone work extra days before and after the holiday to compensate for the days off. [14]All of this is a reflection of the fact that average employees in China faces heavier workload but receives insufficient wages and people are not happy about that. Therefore, the metaphor BanZhuan speaks to the greater population. Netizens create memes and make edits of cute animals in different occupation for fun to represent their own situations.
Cultural problems
搬砖（bānzhuān） is not only about the zhuan (bricks) but also the ban (moving). On social media platforms, 搬砖（bānzhuān） is also used to describe any actions that generates an income. It usually involves with doing somewhat a repetitive work and receiving not so much income in return such as playing mini games. These mini games are referred to moving bricks games（搬砖游戏：bānzhuānyóuxì）, which mostly doesn't require much strategy and serious commitment. When players first start playing the game, they will be rewarded a fair amount of money compared to the short time they had spent on the game. However, the money could not be withdrawn from the game yet, until players have reached a certain goal. Once players actually reach their goal, chances are they are already hooked. The game then presents even more and possibly even harder tasks but rewarding player with less and less income each time. This is a common strategy called 杀熟 (ShaShu, killing the familiars), used by many moving bricks games. These games generate income by playing in-game ads and with the meager monetary reward it offers to its players, the developers don't need to worry about their game losing relevance; there will always be newcomers. [15]Another form of Banzhuan games involves larger-scale games such as "Fantasy Westward Journey" (梦幻西游) in which players can perform repetitive actions to grind for in-game resources, then sell it other players in exchange for real-life currency. Like actually moving bricks, the process of grinding is tedious and repetitive while the income is usually little.[16]
With the rise of AI technology, some users seize the opportunity of using AI to make money. There are many tutorials on Chinese social media platforms teaching netizens how to generate photos, emotes, make music, produce news articles, videos and much more. All of which could be converted into money. Nonetheless, AI 搬砖（bānzhuān）is still in the center of controversy. Sometimes it involves taking someone else's creation such as artwork and photography, either intentionally or not, making money off someone else's works can be contentious. Another controversial aspect of AI 搬砖（bānzhuān）is that many advertisements claiming AI can generate income are scams. Scammers will sell tutorial videos and course materials which they claim teaches users how to make big money using AI. These videos could cost over thousands of Chinese Yuans when in fact the information provided by these tutorials can be found online for free. [17]It manipulates users' mental of wanting to earn big money by doing little physical work. AI and mini game scams like to advertise themselves as easy and quick to learn, earns cash fast with just a phone, and doesn't need any education background. Therefore its main targets are the population who really needs cash but can't find a job, such as underage kids or grassroot labours.
Political Problems
Because of the great cyber firewall that guard Chinese netizens from websites of foreign countries, it could be difficult for the average Chinese netizens to access anything from the outside world. Vice versa, content from the Chinese online world may also be foreign for anyone that doesn't have access to the Chinese cyberspace. There is very little mutual communication between netizens from China and other countries. It is a special phenomenon as a result of the governmental restrictions. However, censorship of foreign content by the officials cannot stop the average users from engaging in foreign online content. Some Chinese netizens who have access to internet outside of the wall would voluntarily repost online resources to Chinese online platforms for the convenience of those who doesn't have access. Under certain settings, reposting foreign game modifications and other resources to Chinese websites are also referred to 搬砖（bānzhuān）. This is fairly niche and mostly target players of specific games. Unlike doing actually grunt work, this is completely voluntary and there are little direct benefits for the ones performing such actions. With the cyber firewall, Chinese and foreign netizens hardly share any online common space and there is little mutual communication. With the volunteer's moving (reposting) of bricks (resources), Chinese netizens can also gain access to resources from overseas. The connotation of the word is not always related to grunt and heavy work. In this setting it is quite lighthearted and the work itself does not require physical labor.
Recently, the term 搬砖（bānzhuān）has been transformed from its original description of physical labor to an Internet term and a financial term. In the current literature, 搬砖（bānzhuān）is a word with different meanings in different fields. The original meaning of the word is derived from manual labor, a kind of repetitive and boring work. However, with the coming of the digital age, it has developed different meanings in the fields of gaming and finance. In addition, the literature has also indicated the significance of 搬砖（bānzhuān）in China's social identity and identity construction. Therefore, researching the multiple meanings of 搬砖（bānzhuān）helps to understand the evolution of the language, its social significance and Internet culture.
First of all, 搬砖（bānzhuān）originally means to carry bricks, which has been extended on the Internet to refer to going to work. 搬砖（bānzhuān）refers to a kind of work that is laborious and earns little money, yet it must be done. Yan analyzes the meaning of 搬砖（bānzhuān）from the perspective of occupation. The author thinks that the daily copying and pasting tasks at the beginning of the career of a web editor are a kind of 搬砖（bānzhuān）work. Because he thinks that this kind of work is not creative and makes people feel numb to the content. However, the author believes that this initial work, although mechanical, will establish the foundation for the editor's future. By copying and pasting a lot, the judgment of the news content can be improved to enhance the content. Therefore, the literature believes that 搬砖（bānzhuān）could change the skills from quantitative to qualitative, which means that the term also has positive meaning[1].
Second, with the advent of the digital age, 搬砖（bānzhuān）has extended its meaning in the fields of gaming and finance. Beijing Business News describes the practical application of 搬砖（bānzhuān）in the online game economy. Players earn gold by completing game tasks with virtual resources, and then cash in. The article indicates that with the emergence of studios, this industry has been monopolized. Studios utilize equipment that can operate in bulk and even change the market landscape. Ordinary players face high investment and unstable returns. The article reveals that 搬砖（bānzhuān）leads to an unequal distribution of wealth in the gaming economy.[4] Later in the virtual currency field, people extend the concept of 搬砖（bānzhuān）to the virtual currency market. They refer to “搬砖（bānzhuān）arbitrage”, revealing the high risk of 搬砖（bānzhuān）behavior. Zhang stated that 搬砖（bānzhuān）refers to buying low and selling high across platforms in order to earn the difference in price. In blockchain, although 搬砖（bānzhuān）behavior may be rewarding, it is fraught with uncertainty. Moreover, the literature emphasizes that this type of 搬砖（bānzhuān）arbitrage can be exploited by unscrupulous individuals.[5] Song delves into the possibility that this type of arbitrage may involve fraudulent behavior. The study suggests that this behavior makes the financial risk of 搬砖（bānzhuān）arbitrage even more hazardous. Therefore, 搬砖（bānzhuān）also brings a great deal of negative impacts.[18]
At the level of network culture, the Internet buzzword “搬砖（bānzhuān）“ presents the identity of contemporary society and also expresses class conflicts. The duality of linguistic symbols at the cultural level has been emphasized in Internet popular culture. Yang, Tang and Wang emphasize that the word 搬砖（bānzhuān）is closely related to the culture of “losers”. It reflects the protest self-expression of the lower middle class. The literature reflects social marginalization and identity anxiety through the linguistic symbol of “搬砖（bānzhuān）”. By analyzing the text and the social meaning behind it, it reflects the reality of weak class mobility, thus emphasizing the negative impact of 搬砖（bānzhuān）.[2]However, Huang presents the opposite attitude, in which the author argues that 搬砖（bānzhuān）is a social self-deprecating linguistic expression. Although it criticizes social inequality, it alleviates social conflicts to a certain extent in the form of teasing. As an identity in cyberspace, the term 搬砖（bānzhuān）blurs class boundaries and temporarily curtails class conflict.[3] This neutral attitude presents the positive impact of 搬砖（bānzhuān）.
The current study only focuses on the multiple meanings of 搬砖（bānzhuān）in the cultural and economic contexts, but lacks a systematic analysis of the actual contexts. Future research could explore the commonalities and differences in these different contexts and the additional meanings that could be extended in the future.
Conclusion
Before the rapid development of the Internet, the term 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）had no special meaning, it literally meant moving bricks. After the rapid development of the Internet, 搬砖（bānzhuān）has gradually become a kind of Internet terminology, generally referring to low pay and repetitive work boring work. When people use the word 搬砖（bānzhuān）in the Internet, it often reflects some social phenomena. In social terms, 搬砖（bānzhuān）reflects economic inequality and employment problems. When people laugh at themselves as 搬砖（bānzhuān）, they often reflect a dissatisfaction and frustration with their low-paid and boring jobs. Many salaried people work too much and are paid too little and don't even get enough rest. That's why they call themselves 搬砖人（bānzhuānrén）. Not only that, the word 搬砖（bānzhuān）also shows people's psychological pressure and physical and mental health problems. In the field of online games, 搬砖（bānzhuān）reflects the interweaving of virtual economy and real economy. In some online games, players have to perform boring and repetitive tasks to obtain game resources to trade with other players, and can only exchange for a small amount of real currency. The practice is similar to 搬砖（bānzhuān）, in that it involves repeating tedious and less rewarding tasks. In addition to online games, in recent years, the network has also begun to popular AI 搬砖（bānzhuān）, such a move has so far been controversial. In terms of politics, some policies in China prohibit people from using overseas network resources, and some people will transfer overseas network resources to some domestic network platforms. This behavior is also referred to as 搬砖（bānzhuān）. Such a move would be of little benefit to the brick-movers themselves, but it would give people access to online resources overseas. In general, the most important meaning of 搬砖（bānzhuān）is to emphasize a state of hard work, repetitive and boring machinery, and low income. Therefore, the term 搬砖（bānzhuān）also reflects some social and political phenomena and problems from the side.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Yan, Chuan (2021). "Internet Bricklayers, "Headline Party" and the Value of Editors". China Editorial – via China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database 中国知网.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Yang, Peidong; Tang, Lijun; Wang, Xuan (2015). "Diaosi as infrapolitics: Scatological tropes, identity-making and cultural intimacy on China's internet". Media, Culture & Society.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Huang, Yanning (2020). "Who are the "grassroots"? on the ambivalent class orientation of online wordplay in china". Popular Communication: 266–280.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Beijing Business News Boiling Point Investigation Team (2021). "The game's "brick-lifting party"". Beijing Business News – via China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database 中国知网.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Zhang, Zhenhua; Gu, Xijiang; Xu, Yujie; Fu, Jing. ""Bricks" platform raises 14.8 billion yuan". Fangyuan – via China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database 中国知网.
- ↑ Xiao, Yang; Yin, Hui (2024). "A Study of "AB Ren" From the Perspective of Construction Grammar". Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 14: 827–835.
- ↑ "百度汉语".
- ↑ "游戏里说的搬砖是什么意思？游戏搬砖平台推荐2024". 网易新闻.
- ↑ "编程为什么叫搬砖". Worktile社区.
- ↑ "à MDBG Chinese Dictionary".
- ↑ "有声中日双语 丨"搬砖"用日语怎么说？". 联普日语社区.
- ↑ "微信公众号：滨才外语".
- ↑ "百度百科：打工人".
- ↑ "百度百科：调休".
- ↑ 贾, 天荣 (2024-02-02). "劣质小游戏恐成移动互联网平台"寄生虫"".
- ↑ 梁, 辰; 王, 萌 (2012-09-13). "年轻人的另类兼职：玩游戏赚钱"靠谱"吗？". 青岛日报.
- ↑ "AI课程良莠不齐 交钱买课需谨慎". 2024-03-25.
- ↑ Song, Xingjian (2021). "Regulation of Fraud Offenses Involving Blockchain Smart Contracts--Taking Digital Currency "Brick Arbitrage" as a Perspective". Journal of Chongqing University (Social Science Edition) – via China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database 中国知网.