What does 996 mean?
Universally understood shorthand for exploitative work hours — one of the most significant Chinese workplace terms of the past decade.
internet-slang/996
A brutal work schedule: 9am to 9pm, six days per week — common in Chinese tech companies and startups.
9 (am) – 9 (pm), 6 days a week.
A brutal work schedule: 9am to 9pm, six days per week — common in Chinese tech companies and startups.
WHEN YOU SEE IT
996 is more than a work schedule — it is a symbol of China’s tech labor culture and the backlash against it. The numbers encode the hours: 9am start, 9pm finish, 6 days a week. That is 72 hours minimum, and in practice often more.
The term went viral after Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, described 996 as a “huge blessing” (福报 — fúbào) in a 2019 speech. The internet erupted. A GitHub repository called 996.ICU (meaning “996, then ICU”) became a global rallying point for Chinese tech workers, collecting evidence of companies enforcing 996 schedules. The message: work 996 and you’ll end up in the Intensive Care Unit.
Since then, 996 has become shorthand for exploitative work culture. In job discussions, asking 是996吗 is a standard question. The term exists on a spectrum: 955 (9-5, 5 days — the dream), 996 (the brutal standard), 007 (always working — the nightmare).
Related terms: 社畜 (corporate livestock), 打工人 (wage earner — self-deprecating), and 躺平 (lying flat — the rejection of this entire system).
HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY USE IT
这家公司是996，你确定要去吗？
This company does 996 — are you sure you want to go there?
Job warning996已经算好的了，有的公司是007。
996 is already considered not bad — some companies do 007 (24/7).
Dark humor about work hoursCLOSE NEIGHBORS
007
0:00 to 0:00, 7 days — i.e. 24/7, always working.
An even more extreme schedule than 996 — essentially always on call大小周
Alternating big/small weeks — one week with one rest day, next week with two.
A slightly less brutal alternative to full 996 that some companies offer