冤枉钱
释义 DEFINITION
冤枉钱指本可避免的不必要开支，或由于错误判断而产生的经济浪费。主要包含两种含义：
互联网语境下多用于消费者维权讨论和年轻人理财话题，常见于电商节后反思、电子产品换代吐槽等场景。
DEFINITION
Yuān wǎng qián (literally 'wronged money') describes funds spent on unnecessary things due to poor judgment or marketing traps. It's China's answer to 'money down the drain' with cultural specificity:
- Often involves impulse buys during live-stream shopping frenzies
- Frequently references tech tax - overpaying for gadgets with redundant features
- May critique 'face consumption' - overspending to maintain social status
ETYMOLOGY
The term went viral during China's 2018 Singles' Day shopping festival, when a Zhihu user published The White Paper of Annual Wasted Money, analyzing 32,000 failed consumption cases. It categorized four spending pitfalls:
- IQ tax: Gimmicky products like 'radiation-proof' cactus
- Social obligation: Compulsive gift-giving in red envelopes
- Faux refinement: Overpriced Instagram-style home decor
- Delayed regret: Unused gym memberships
In 2020, Bilibili creator 'Money-Saving Queen' boosted its popularity with the video Gen Z's Most Baffling Spending Habits, which humorously noted: "Spending $450 on a Dyson styler only to discover it works best as a chip clip". The video garnered 4.2M views, cementing the term in youth culture.
Now commonly seen in posts like:
"These '618 sale' tricks got me again - 'original price' $129 now 'discounted' to $125. Classic yuān wǎng qián!"