朋克养生péng kè yǎng shēng

朋克 is the English word “punk”, written with Chinese sounds. 养生 is the traditional idea of looking after your health so that you live long, the habits people link with their grandparents. Together, the word is a joke about doing both at once.

China Daily defined it in 2018 as young people who harm themselves and save themselves at the same time. Its examples: goji tea after a beer, chrysanthemum tea with spicy Sichuan food, eye cream after a late night.

It is ordinary Chinese now, and it is gentle self-mockery. You use it about your own habits: a face mask at two in the morning, a salad after hot pot, a walk after a night of games.

One article traces it to 2017, when a photo went around on WeChat: the drummer of the veteran rock band Black Panther, holding a 保温杯, a thermos cup. The contrast between a rocker and the cup of careful middle-aged health made the post go viral, and the word grew out of it.

By December 2018 it was common enough that China Daily explained it in its Today Phrase column. Since then, a 保温杯 with 枸杞, “goji berries”, in it has been the picture people use for the joke.