Slang dictionary · Moods and personality · Chinese internet slang
What does pofang (破防) mean?
Also written: 破防了, po fang, pò fáng
In short
破防 (pòfáng, literally "break defense") means something has hit you so hard emotionally that your guard is down: you may be deeply moved, stung or provoked. The usual phrase is 我破防了 ("I'm broken"). It started as an online-gaming term for breaking through an opponent's defense, and in 2021 it made both China's top ten internet expressions list from the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center and the Yaowen Jiaozi magazine's top ten buzzwords.
From gaming to feelings
In online games, 破防 means getting past an opponent's armor or shield so their defense stops working. Players then applied the "defense" to the mind: if something gets past your emotional guard, you are 破防.
When the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center listed it among the top ten internet expressions of 2021, it defined the new sense as being strongly shaken by something you experience or see, touched deep inside, with your psychological defenses broken. The editors of Yaowen Jiaozi (咬文嚼字), which put it on its 2021 buzzword list too, noted two outcomes: pain after being hurt, or resonance after being moved.
How to use it
- 「看到爸妈偷偷给我充话费，我直接破防了。」 (My parents secretly topped up my phone. I broke down.)
- 「体检报告一出来，当场破防。」 (The check-up results came back. Instantly crushed.)
- 「这条评论说得太准了，破大防。」 (This comment is too accurate. Totally wrecked.)
- 「他就是故意让你破防，别理他。」 (He is trying to get a rise out of you. Ignore him.)
- 「最后一秒被绝杀，球迷集体破防。」 (A last-second loss. The fans all lost it.)
Three kinds of 破防
| Kind | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Moved | touched by something warm or kind | 「这段视频看得我破防了」 (this video got me) |
| Stung | hit where it hurts | 「月底看了眼余额，破防」 (checked my balance, ouch) |
| Provoked | angered, lost composure | 「才被说两句就破防了？」 (a couple of words and you snapped?) |
Context tells you which. 我破防了 about yourself is usually the first two; saying someone else 破防了 is often the third.
Tone
Saying it about yourself is light and self-mocking, common among friends. Telling someone in an argument that they are 破防了 is a taunt (roughly "you mad?") and tends to escalate things. In formal writing, use 深受触动 ("deeply moved") instead.
FAQ
How is 破防 different from emo?
破防 is a sudden hit from a specific thing, moving or painful. Emo is a general low mood with no particular trigger needed.
Is 破防 positive or negative?
Neutral by itself. Being moved to tears is positive; mocking someone as 破防了 means they got upset and is negative.
Was 破防 a word of the year?
Yes. It ranked fourth in the 2021 top ten internet expressions from the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center, and was on Yaowen Jiaozi's 2021 top ten buzzwords.