脑残
释义 DEFINITION
脑残（nǎo cán）原指因脑部损伤导致的智力障碍，但在互联网语境中主要包含以下含义：
- 字面含义：医学意义上的脑功能缺陷（现已较少使用）
- 网络释义：形容人思维逻辑混乱、做出缺乏常识判断的行为（使用率90%）
- 引申含义：特指盲目追随流行文化而丧失独立思考能力的群体（常见于娱乐圈讨论）
词源故事 ETYMOLOGY
一个词的网络进化史
2007年天涯论坛出现《脑残不死，天下不宁》热帖，首次将医学术语转化为社会批判。作者用‘脑残’暗讽当时选秀节目引发的盲目追星现象——粉丝为给偶像投票竟集体绝食抗议。
2008年‘刘德华疯狂粉丝杨丽娟事件’成为转折点，网民以‘脑残粉’指代那些为追星导致家破人亡的极端群体。百度贴吧随即出现‘脑残吧’，专门收录各类反智言论。
2010年后该词完成‘去医学化’转型：
- 电竞圈用来嘲讽低级操作（例：这波团战打得真脑残）
- 时政讨论中暗指被洗脑的群体（例：台独脑残言论）
- 衍生出‘脑残体’文字——故意使用火星文彰显叛逆的00后亚文化
经典例句：
‘打开短视频平台，十条有八条是脑残挑战’
‘这编剧把观众当脑残？主角中枪还能跳广场舞’
DEFINITION
Brain-dead (nǎo cán) literally means 'brain disability', but in Chinese internet culture it's evolved into:
- A sharp critique of illogical thinking comparable to saying 'mindless zombie' in English
- Often targets fanatical fanbase cultures - imagine combining 'stan culture' with 'sheeple'
- Contains layered sarcasm implying the person is mentally deficient by choice rather than birth
ETYMOLOGY
The Metamorphosis of an Internet Insult
This term's journey began in 2007 on Tianya Forum, where a viral post titled 'No Peace Until Brain-dead Are Gone' weaponized the medical term against reality show fanatics. The author mocked fans who went on hunger strikes to support their idols - imagine Tumblr stans meets political protest.
The 2008 Andy Lau fan incident cemented its usage: Yang Lijuan drove her family to bankruptcy chasing the celebrity, becoming the archetypal 'nǎo cán fěn' (brain-dead fan). Soon Baidu Tieba created a dedicated forum cataloguing absurd online behavior.
Post-2010 evolution:
- Gaming culture: Roasting noobs (e.g. 'That teamfight was brain-dead')
- Political discourse: Referring to those swallowing propaganda (e.g. 'pro-independence brain-dead rhetoric')
- Birthed 'brain-dead font' - a Gen Z rebellion using garbled characters
Cultural Note: While harsh to Western ears, in China's context it functions like 'sheeple' with dark humor edge rather than literal disability mockery.