Buddha-style

A Chinese delivery man shot to online fame after he was revealed to be reading philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's book Thus Spoke Zarathustra while waiting for a customer to return home. Chinese netizens applauded his patience and called him a “foxi” man, meaning a man that always keeps peace in his mind. With “fo” meaning “Buddha” and “xi” a suffix word meaning “style,” foxi originated from the Japanese term “Buddha-style man” that describes a group of men who care only about their own interests and hobbies and regard dating girls as troublesome. However, when the word spread to China at the end of 2017, its meaning evolved to describe an attitude toward life – taking things easy and not joining in any competitions or battles. For example, a “Buddhastyle” mom never shouts at her children no matter how big a mess they make. A “Buddha-style” employee is stoic toward the boss's comments, whether they are good or bad. Observers attribute the word's popularity to the mounting pressure on young people – when the social stratum gets increasingly solid and when many young people found it hard to compete with those from a rich family or of a good background, they become a “Buddha” that “cares about nothing and desires for nothing.” They believe that such an attitude will re- duce their pressure and bring them more happiness amid the hardships of life. Many analysts, however, worried that the spread of such an “attitude” will make young people lose their morale and ambitions. Party paper the People’s Daily recently delivered a commentary on the word, warning that it is too tiring to care about everything, but young people do have to pursue something, or they will get lost on the long road of life. The commentary received support from a large number of young people, who believe that typical “foxi” people should be those who insist on what they truly pursue regardless of the environment they are in, just like the patient delivery man.