Picture this: you run into an old friend on a random weekday afternoon, and instead of rushing back to the office, they're just... sitting in a café, drinking coffee, completely unbothered. That's the scene Episode 12 opens with — and it's the entry point into one of the most talked-about social phenomena to come out of China in recent years: 躺平, "lying flat."
This episode is a little different from our usual shop-counter or restaurant scenes. It's a real conversation about work, burnout, and a generational shift in what "success" is even supposed to look like — plus a grammar structure, 不但...而且..., that you'll start noticing constantly once you know it's there.
The Dialogue
Antoine：好久不见！你怎么现在还在这儿喝咖啡？不是应该在公司加班吗？
(Hǎojiǔ bújiàn! Nǐ zěnme xiànzài hái zài zhèr hē kāfēi? Bú shì yīnggāi zài gōngsī jiābān ma?)
Long time no see! Why are you still here drinking coffee now? Shouldn't you be working overtime at the office?
Dorota：我辞职了。现在我不想那么努力了，想休息一下。
(Wǒ cízhí le. Xiànzài wǒ bù xiǎng nàme nǔlì le, xiǎng xiūxi yíxià.)
I quit my job. Now I don't want to work so hard anymore, I want to rest a little.
Antoine：真的吗？你以前不是工作最努力的那个人吗？每天都加班到很晚。
(Zhēn de ma? Nǐ yǐqián bú shì gōngzuò zuì nǔlì de nàge rén ma? Měitiān dōu jiābān dào hěn wǎn.)
Really? Weren't you the hardest-working person before? You worked overtime late every day.
Dorota：对啊，努力了三年，不但没有升职，而且工资也没有涨。所以我想明白了。
(Duì a, nǔlìle sān nián, búdàn méiyǒu shēngzhí, érqiě gōngzī yě méiyǒu zhǎng. Suǒyǐ wǒ xiǎng míngbai le.)
Right, I worked hard for three years, and not only did I not get promoted, but my salary didn't go up either. So I figured it out.
Antoine：那你现在做什么工作？
(Nà nǐ xiànzài zuò shénme gōngzuò?)
So what work do you do now?
Dorota：我做一些自由职业的小工作，不但压力小，而且时间也很自由。有钱生活就够了，我不需要买房子或者车。
(Wǒ zuò yìxiē zìyóu zhíyè de xiǎo gōngzuò, búdàn yālì xiǎo, érqiě shíjiān yě hěn zìyóu. Yǒu qián shēnghuó jiù gòu le, wǒ bù xūyào mǎi fángzi huòzhě chē.)
I do some small freelance jobs — not only is the pressure low, but the schedule is flexible too. Having enough money to live is enough, I don't need to buy a house or a car.
Antoine：听起来很自由……不过我爸妈要是知道我这样想，肯定会说我。
(Tīngqǐlái hěn zìyóu... búguò wǒ bàmā yàoshi zhīdào wǒ zhèyàng xiǎng, kěndìng huì shuō wǒ.)
That sounds pretty free... but if my parents knew I thought this way, they'd definitely lecture me.
Dorota：那是他们那一代人的想法。我们这一代，努力工作也买不起房子，不如休息一下，这样心里更舒服。
(Nà shì tāmen nà yí dài rén de xiǎngfǎ. Wǒmen zhè yí dài, nǔlì gōngzuò yě mǎi bu qǐ fángzi, bùrú xiūxi yíxià, zhèyàng xīnlǐ gèng shūfu.)
That's their generation's way of thinking. For our generation, even working hard won't let us afford a house — might as well rest a little, it feels better this way.
A few small patterns worth flagging as you go: 不是...吗? shows up twice in this dialogue, and it's a great structure for "isn't it true that...?" — a question that already assumes the answer. And 就够了, "that's enough already," is a really natural way to close off a sentence about being satisfied with what you have.
Vocab List
| Simplified | Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 躺平 | 躺平 | tǎngpíng | to "lie flat" (opt out of competition/overwork) |
| 辞职 | 辭職 | cízhí | to quit one's job |
| 努力 | 努力 | nǔlì | to work hard; hardworking |
| 加班 | 加班 | jiābān | to work overtime |
| 升职 | 升職 | shēngzhí | to get promoted |
| 工资 | 工資 | gōngzī | salary, wages |
| 涨 | 漲 | zhǎng | to rise, to increase |
| 自由职业 | 自由職業 | zìyóu zhíyè | freelance work |
| 压力 | 壓力 | yālì | pressure, stress |
| 自由 | 自由 | zìyóu | free, freedom |
| 想明白 | 想明白 | xiǎng míngbai | to figure something out, to come to terms with |
| 一代 | 一代 | yí dài | a generation |
| 想法 | 想法 | xiǎngfǎ | way of thinking, idea |
| 心里 | 心裡 | xīnlǐ | inwardly, in one's heart |
| 舒服 | 舒服 | shūfu | comfortable |
Grammar Spotlight: 不但...而且...
不但...而且... (búdàn...érqiě...) means "not only... but also...". It links two clauses where the second point adds something extra on top of the first — usually just as significant, sometimes even more so.
Structure: 不但 + clause A，而且 + clause B
If both clauses share the same subject, that subject usually goes before 不但. If the subjects are different, each one sits right after its own connector.
- 这个工作不但压力大，而且工资很低。— This job is not only high-pressure, but also low-paying.
- 他不但辞职了，而且搬回了家。— He not only quit his job, but also moved back home.
- 不但他辞职了，而且他女朋友也辞职了。— Not only did he quit, but his girlfriend quit too. (different subjects, each placed after its own connector)
In casual speech, you'll often hear 还 step in for 而且 — 不但便宜，还很好吃, "not only cheap, but also delicious." Same job, slightly more relaxed tone. This is a structure you'll run into constantly once you're past the total-beginner stage — daily conversation, online reviews, complaints about work, all of it.
A Small Cultural Note
躺平 became a genuinely huge word online in China a few years ago — popular enough that even state media weighed in on it, which, somewhat ironically, only got more people talking about it. It describes young people stepping back from the nonstop competition for promotions, property, and status, and choosing something quieter instead: enough money to live comfortably, and no more racing.
It's worth noting this is very much a mainland Chinese internet phenomenon — it's not a phrase you'll hear thrown around in Taiwan nearly as often. If you want an English equivalent, "quiet quitting" captures a similar feeling, even if the word itself is different: people deciding they've had enough of constant hustle and burnout, and drawing a line under it.
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Even if 躺平 isn't a word you'll use every day, it's a genuine window into a conversation a lot of young people are having right now — and 不但...而且... is a structure you'll be reaching for constantly once you start listening for it.
Want more real conversations about modern Chinese society and youth culture? Our HSK 4 workbook has a full unit built around exactly this kind of topic.
