佛系父母

A '佛系父母' (Zen Parent) is one who has spiritually checked out of the Chinese parenting arms race. While other parents are enrolling their toddlers in Mandarin-piano-math-swimming boot camps, the 佛系 parent shrugs and says 'whatever makes you happy, kid.' Part genuine philosophy, part exhausted surrender, these parents reject the hyper-competitive 'chicken baby' (鸡娃) culture and let fate — or the child — take the wheel.

China's brutal academic competition, symbolized by the gaokao exam, has long pressured parents into extreme child-grooming behaviors. As anxiety and burnout peaked around 2021, a counter-movement emerged: parents who consciously (or helplessly) opted out of the rat race. The '佛系' (Buddhist-style, i.e. chill) label spread from millennials describing their own laid-back attitudes to describing a parenting philosophy rejecting the 'lying flat' pressure on children.

指那些对孩子不焦虑、不鸡娃、随缘佛系的父母，不强迫孩子上补习班，顺其自然。