铁公鸡
释义 DEFINITION
字面含义：由铸铁制成的公鸡，因其金属特性无法掉落羽毛。
核心释义：形容极度吝啬之人，具备以下特征：
- 拒绝正常社交消费（如AA制聚餐时逃避付款）
- 过度节俭影响生活质量（如十年不换旧衣物）
- 利益争夺时寸步不让（如菜市场为五毛钱争执半小时）
网络语境：在社交媒体（如微博/抖音）中，该词使用场景扩展至：
词源故事 ETYMOLOGY
这个源自农耕文明的比喻最早见于清代《笑林广记》，其中记载某富商葬礼上，吊唁者讽刺道："此公铁铸咽喉，铜浇肠胃，便是无常鬼也难勾他半分钱财"，堪称早期"铁公鸡"文学原型。
2018年抖音用户@沪上老克勒拍摄的系列短剧《弄堂铁公鸡》使其重新流行。剧中主角王建国将"省钱三十六计"演绎到极致：用公交卡代替婚戒、收集奶茶店免费冰块制冷、甚至把健身房淋浴间当自家浴室。该账号30天内涨粉470万，#当代铁公鸡挑战#话题播放量突破18亿次。
2021年出现语义异化现象：
- 电竞圈："EDG这波团战铁公鸡啊，连个人头都不给对面留！"（指完美零失分战术）
- 粉丝经济："哥哥的商务代言太铁公鸡了，半年才接三个推广"（抱怨偶像商业活动少）
- 反讽用法："今天做回铁公鸡——把老板画的大饼全部存进胃里！"
典型案例：2022年双十一期间，淘宝主播李佳琦在讲解某贵妇面霜时调侃："舍不得买的姐妹别勉强，偶尔当回铁公鸡不丢人"，当日直播间该产品退货率异常增加23%，充分展现该词汇的现代杀伤力。
DEFINITION
Literal meaning: An iron rooster that cannot shed feathers due to its metallic nature.
Cultural metaphor: Describes someone exhibiting extreme stinginess, comparable to Western terms like "Scrooge" or "penny-pincher". Key characteristics include:
- Consistently avoiding reasonable social expenses (e.g., conveniently forgetting wallet during group dinners)
- Excessive frugality bordering on self-deprivation (e.g., using single-ply toilet paper as facial tissue)
- Aggressive bargaining over trivial amounts (e.g., demanding 10% discount on a $1 street snack)
Digital evolution: On Chinese social platforms, the term has evolved to describe:
- Content creators who never offer giveaways ("Subscribe to this iron rooster YouTuber - he won't even give you a like!"
- Gamers refusing in-game purchases ("Won't buy a $0.99 skin? Total cheapskate move!"
- Employers with ridiculous cost-cutting ("Company retreat venue: the office basement. Classic iron rooster management!"
ETYMOLOGY
This agricultural-era metaphor gained literary fame in Qing Dynasty joke collections. A classic anecdote tells of mourners at a miser's funeral quipping: "With bronze guts and iron throat, even the death god can't claim a copper from this man" - essentially the OG iron rooster.
The term resurged in 2018 through Douyin creator @OldShanghaiSlicker's viral series Alleyway Iron Rooster. Protagonist Wang Jianguo elevates frugality to performance art: using transit cards as wedding rings, stocking free ice from milk tea shops for AC, and treating gym showers as personal spas. The account gained 4.7M followers in a month, with the hashtag #IronRoosterChallenge hitting 1.8B views.
Modern adaptations include:
- Esports: "That teamfight was total iron rooster style - didn't even feed one kill!"
- Fan culture: "Our idol's being an iron rooster - only 3 endorsements this year!"
- Satirical usage: "Being an iron rooster today - storing all the boss's empty promises in my stomach!"
Notably during 2022's Singles' Day sales, livestream king Li Jiaqi joked while promoting luxury cream: "No shame in being an iron rooster if you can't afford this." The product saw 23% abnormal return rates that day, proving the term's modern cultural potency.