ETYMOLOGY
The phrase went viral during China's 2014 Singles' Day shopping spree when Alibaba recorded $9.3 billion in sales. Netizens jokingly declared: 'After chopping off my hands (from clicking buy), it's time to eat dirt!' This dark humor spread like wildfire on Weibo and WeChat.
As analyzed by Zhihu user @EcommerceObserver, the term perfectly captures young Chinese consumers' paradox - flaunting shopping achievements while seeking commiseration. The hashtag #EatingDirtChallenge garnered 230M views during 2015 Singles' Day.
Evolution of usage:
2014-2016: Exclusive to post-online-shopping financial woes2017-2019: Extended to any major spending (travel/cosmetic procedures)2020-present: Evolved into class-conscious memes like 'Rich folks eat meat, I eat dirt'Typical usage example:
Just copped the PS5 Collector's Edition. Ready for my 3-month dirt diet. (Bilibili comment)