Millennials have long been derided as the “me me me” generation, but the young Chinese joining praise-lavishing chat groups are taking self-gratification to a whole new level.

长期以来，千禧一代一直被嘲笑为“我我我”（非常自我）的一代，但加入夸夸群的中国年轻人将自我满足提升到了一个全新的水平。

The groups on social app WeChat — often bearing titles with the phrase kuakua qun, or “in need of praise” — have become the latest fad for social media-obsessed youth seeking validation.

社交软件微信上的群组——通常带有“夸夸群”(求表扬)的群名——已经成为痴迷社交媒体的年轻人寻求认可的最新潮流。

Users can purchase memberships to such groups on e-commerce platforms like Taobao for anywhere from 0.6 yuan to 188 yuan ($0.09 to $28). After joining, members can receive flatteringcomments from each other and even request to be complimented on specific things.

用户可以在淘宝等电子商务平台上以0.6元至188元(合0.09美元至28美元) 的价格购买入群资格。加入后，成员们可以收到群内成员的夸奖，甚至可以要求在某些特定的事情上得到夸奖。

Though the trend isn’t new — a similar phenomenon appeared in China in 2014 — the topic gained traction on domestic social media last week after a woman wrote on her Weibo microblog about her positive experience in a kuakua qun group.

尽管这一趋势并不新鲜——2014年中国也出现过类似的现象——但上周，一名女子在她的微博上分享了她在夸夸群的有趣经历后，这一话题在国内社交媒体上获得了关注。

But students in schools such as Fudan University and Tongji University in Shanghai have said that the fad’s latest incarnation is about more than just vanity — it’s also an outlet for users to practice kindness and support each other.

但复旦大学和上海同济大学等学校的学生表示，这股潮流不仅仅是虚荣心的表现，它也是用户互相关爱、互相支持的一种表达方式。

Liu Xinqu, a member of a kuakua qun group for Fudan University students, told Sixth Tone that he witnessed members providing encouragement and practical advice to a fellow student who had posted in the group about wanting to drop out of school. “Members of my chat group are especially willing to comfort those who are upset or sad, offering suggestions from an alternative perspective to show support,” Liu said.

复旦大学夸夸群的成员刘新曲(音译)告诉《第六声》，有同学在群中称自己想退学，他看到群内成员鼓励了这名同学并提供了实用建议，刘说:“我的夸夸群里的成员特别愿意安慰那些感到难过或悲伤的人，从另一个角度提供建议，以表示支持。”

In the past few years, reports of mental health issues among young Chinese have circulated widely online, with lingering feelings of depression and ennui sometimes termed “empty-heart disease.” At the same time, the slacker culture known as sang — characterized by reduced work ethic, lack of motivation, and general apathy — has become more pervasive.

在过去的几年里，关于中国年轻人心理健康问题的报道在网上广泛传播，他们有着挥之不去的抑郁和倦怠感，有时也被称为“空心病”。与此同时，被称为“丧”的懒散文化——其特征是缺乏职业道德、缺乏动力和普遍的冷漠——变得越来越普遍。

Chen Kan, an associate professor in Fudan University’s psychology department, told Sixth Tone that kuakua qun chat groups have gone viral because they “meet a lot of psychological needs” for students seeking company, self-confidence, or flattery.

复旦大学心理学系副教授陈侃在接受《第六声》采访时表示，夸夸群走红的原因在于其“满足了很多学生寻求陪伴、自信或奉承的心理需求”。

“For young people, gaining recognition from peers is more important than getting approval from older generations,” she said. “University students can feel a sense of belonging and gain encouragement in these chat groups, which is beneficial to their mental health.”

她说:“对于年轻人来说，获得同龄人的认可比获得长辈的认可更重要。大学生可以在这些夸夸群中感受到归属感，得到鼓励，这有利于他们的心理健康。”

But Chen also warned that anyone giving or receiving praise in such groups should be cautious. “The biggest risk is the constant emphasis on the ‘false self,’ [which] makes it harder to see the ‘true self,’” she said.

但陈教授也警告说，在这样的群体中，任何给予或接受表扬的人都应该谨慎。她说:“最大的风险是对‘虚假自我’的不断强调，这使得人们更难看到‘真实的自我’。”

今日词汇

deride /dɪˈraɪd/ v. 嘲笑

lavish /ˈlævɪʃ/ v. 浪费；慷慨给予

fad /fæd/ n. 时尚

validation /ˌvælɪˈdeɪʃən/ n. 确认；批准；生效

flatter /ˈflætə/ v. 奉承；谄媚

traction /ˈtrækʃən/ n. 牵引力

domestic adj. 国内的；家庭的(domestic abuse 家暴)

incarnation /ˌɪnkɑːˈneɪʃən/ n. 某事物的化身

vanity /ˈvænəti/ n. 虚荣

circulate /ˈsɜːkjəleɪt/ v. 传播，流传

ennui /ˌɒnˈwiː/ n. 厌倦；倦怠

slacker culture 懒散文化

apathy /ˈæpəθi/ n. 冷漠