甩手掌柜
释义 DEFINITION
甩手掌柜原指商铺中名义上的管理者却不管实际事务。现代网络语境中，多用来形容以下两种行为：
- 职场场景：挂着领导头衔却将工作全权甩给下属（例：『这个总监就是个甩手掌柜，项目全靠我们加班』）
- 家庭场景：对家务或育儿完全撒手不管的伴侣（例：『孩子生病他照样打游戏，真是甩手掌柜』）
根据2023年《中国青年报》调查，87%的网民更倾向于使用第二种家庭场景的释义，该词常带有强烈批评意味。
词源故事 ETYMOLOGY
这个充满画面感的词汇最早可追溯至明清时期的商铺文化。当时的『掌柜』本应亲力亲为管理店铺，但有些东家聘请职业掌柜后便当起『甩手掌柜』——字面意思是『甩着手臂的掌柜』，形象描绘了背手踱步、不碰实际事务的姿态。
2016年知乎热帖《如何应对甩手掌柜式领导？》让该词完成现代转型。楼主用『我们总监每天只做三件事：签报销单、转发邮件、在周会上说「我原则上同意」』的生动描述，引发3.2万条职场吐槽，相关话题阅读量突破1.8亿。
2020年后出现语义扩展：豆瓣小组『丧偶式育儿』成员开始用『家庭甩手掌柜』指责缺席育儿的父亲。微博数据显示，该用法在母婴话题中的出现频率两年内增长470%，典型案例包括『孩子发烧39度，甩手掌柜老公在开黑』等引发强烈共鸣的控诉。
语言学家指出，这个词的流行反映了两种社会焦虑：
- 职场中『权责不对等』的管理乱象
- 传统家庭分工模式在现代婚姻中的撕裂
近期衍生出黑色幽默用法：B站UP主『摸鱼事务所』用『甩手猫咪掌柜』指代自家不抓老鼠的宠物猫，相关表情包下载量超200万次，显示该词正在向泛娱乐化方向演变。
DEFINITION
A shuǎi shǒu zhǎng guì (literally 'shopkeeper who shakes off hands') is a vivid Chinese metaphor describing someone who:
- In workplaces: Holds a managerial title but delegates all responsibilities (e.g. 'Our hands-off manager just collects paychecks while we pull all-nighters')
- In households: Completely disengages from domestic duties (e.g. 'My hands-off manager husband can't even boil water')
The term originates from traditional Chinese shops where the zhǎng guì (shopkeeper) would literally shake off (shuǎi shǒu) his hands from work. It's now widely used to critique irresponsible leadership or partnership, carrying strong negative connotations.
ETYMOLOGY
The term's evolution mirrors China's social transformation. Originally describing absentee shopkeepers in Ming-Qing dynasty marketplaces, it gained modern relevance through a viral 2016 Zhihu post titled How to Deal with Hands-off Manager Leaders? The author's sarcastic depiction of a boss who 'only signs documents, forwards emails, and says "I原则上同意"（I agree in principle）' resonated with over 180 million readers.
During COVID-19 lockdowns, the phrase took domestic twist. Douban groups like『丧偶式育儿』(Widowed-style Parenting) weaponized it against uninvolved fathers. Weibo analytics show phrases like 'My hands-off manager husband plays PUBG while our baby has 39°C fever' sparked 470% usage surge in parenting communities between 2020-2022.
Cultural analysts note three driving forces:
- Workplace frustration with『领导艺术』(leadership arts) - a Chinese corporate euphemism for evading responsibility
- Clash between traditional 男主外女主内 (men work/women homemake) norms and dual-income households
- Dark humor coping mechanism, exemplified by Bilibili's popular『甩手猫咪掌柜』meme series featuring lazy cats
Interestingly, the term is now being reclaimed by some young Chinese as anti-hustle culture badge. Douyin videos tagged#甩手青年 (#hands-off youth) advocating work-life balance have garnered 890M views, showing the phrase's evolving social functions.