求生欲

What does 求生欲 mean?

求生欲 is used to praise the man who answers flawlessly when his girlfriend asks a trick question like “Do I look fat?” or “Who is prettier, her or me?”. A quick, safe, overcompliant answer shows high 求生欲; a careless honest one shows zero. The joke is treating an everyday conversation as a life-or-death exam.

Where does 求生欲 come from?

The usage grew out of short videos in early 2018, where couples acted out the so-called 送命题 (death-trap questions) on 抖音 and Weibo. By April 2018, apps and netizens were ranking answers by 求生欲, and the term stuck as the label for any impressively careful reply.

How to use 求生欲

• 女友问谁好看，他三秒内报出女友名字，求生欲满分。
  Nǚyǒu wèn shéi hǎokàn, tā sān miǎo nèi bàochū nǚyǒu míngzi, qiúshēngyù mǎnfēn.
  Asked who looks better, he named his girlfriend within three seconds. Full marks for survival instinct.
• 群里分享男友的高情商回答，大家都说这求生欲练了十年。
  Qún lǐ fēnxiǎng nányǒu de gāo qíngshāng huídá, dàjiā dōu shuō zhè qiúshēngyù liàn le shí nián.
  She shared her boyfriend's diplomatic answer in the group chat, and everyone said that survival instinct took ten years of training.