Neijuan

Neijuan is a Chinese economic term describing a situation where competition intensifies and systems become more complex without producing corresponding increases in output or efficiency, leading to diminishing returns for businesses and increased stress for individuals. The concept originated from Western anthropology (developed by Alexander Goldenweiser in 1937 and popularized by Clifford Geertz in 1963) and has been adapted to describe China's macroeconomic challenges, labor market pressures, and the psychological toll of excessive competitiveness on workers.