Slang dictionary · Work and life · Chinese internet slang
What does niuma (牛马) mean?
Also written: 牛马, niu ma, 当代牛马, workhorse
In short
Niuma (牛马, niú mǎ) literally means "oxen and horses", beasts of burden, and has long been used figuratively for people driven to hard labour by others. Today young office workers use it to mock themselves: 我就是个牛马 ("I'm just a workhorse") means being ordered around, working overtime and too tired to complain. It is a bleaker version of 打工人 ("working person").
Meaning and background
牛马 is an old Chinese word. Besides the animals, it describes a person treated like a draught animal; the idiom 做牛做马 ("to work like an ox or a horse") carries the same idea.
In recent years young people on short-video apps, livestreams and social media revived it to describe their working lives, as a darker step beyond 打工人. Calling coworkers 牛马 has also become a way of saying "we're all in the same boat".
How to use niuma
- 早八的地铁上全是牛马 (the 8 a.m. subway is packed with workhorses)
- 周一了，牛马又要上工了 (it's Monday, back to the yoke)
- 领导一句话，牛马跑断腿 (one word from the boss and we run our legs off)
- 我们几个牛马下班一起去吃烧烤 (a few of us workhorses are getting barbecue after work)
- 放假三天，牛马终于可以去吃草了 (three days off; the workhorses can finally go graze)
Animal jokes such as 吃草 ("grazing"), 上工 ("going to work") and 拉磨 ("turning the millstone") often go with it.
Similar words
| Term | Meaning | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| 打工人 | working person | self-mocking but upbeat |
| 牛马 | beast of burden | bleaker, more resigned |
| 社畜 | company livestock | from Japanese shachiku; close to niuma |
| wage slave / corporate drone | English equivalents | similar bitterness |
When not to use it
Calling yourself or friends 牛马 is fine. Telling someone "you're a 牛马" belittles them and can be taken as an insult, and a manager calling staff 牛马 is clearly inappropriate.
Older speakers may hear 牛马 as plain abuse, so avoid it with them.
FAQ
Is niuma an insult?
It depends who says it about whom. Calling yourself 牛马 is self-mockery; calling someone else that is demeaning.
Is niuma the same as 社畜?
Very close. Both mock overworked employees; 社畜 comes from Japanese, 牛马 is an old Chinese word with a new use.
What is niuma in English?
"Workhorse" is the closest; "wage slave" or "corporate drone" also capture it.