包××的bāo … de

包 can mean “to guarantee” in plain Chinese too, as in 包你满意, “satisfaction guaranteed”. The 的 at the end makes the promise sound sure and casual.

Alone, 包的 answers a yes-or-no question: “Can you finish it today?” “包的.” With a word in the middle it promises a result: 包有趣的, “guaranteed fun”, or 包吃撑的, “you’ll be stuffed, guaranteed”.

With a bad result in the middle it turns ironic: 包搞砸的, “guaranteed to mess it up”.

It is common, mostly among young people. It is a promise in a joking tone, so it fits chats with friends: a restaurant tip, a game, a plan. In a work email, use 一定 or 肯定 instead.

It started in the comment section under a gaming blogger’s video, The Paper reports, and the 包××的 form grew from there. The Paper adds that 包的 already meant “sure, certainly” in some dialects, such as that of Henan, which helped it spread.

In December 2024 the Shanghai weekly 语言文字周报 put it on its list of the ten internet phrases of the year.