From viral fish memes that symbolize good fortune to "seat robbers" who became the talk of the Internet as the latest "giant infant," China's social media was filled in 2018 with an interesting wave of events that made many words take on new meanings.

On Monday, leading Chinese linguistic magazine "YaoWen JiaoZi" revealed its annual pick of words among "binge" phrases over the past year on social media:

Why pick the ten?

Huang Anjing, the magazine's chief editor, said the list took into account both the linguistic and sociological meanings of the characters, as it sought to reflect current cultural identities and values, according to Chinanews.

Here're the top ten Chinese words and phrases that stood out in the year of 2018 according to the publisher:

Derived from the term “a community with shared future for mankind," the phrase suggests that different parts become an integral whole with a common destiny, according to the magazine. Based on such ideology, a country should accommodate the legitimate concerns of others when pursuing its own interests; and it should promote common development of all countries when advancing its own development.

Koi fish, a domesticated version of common carp, are famous for the beautiful colors created via selective breeding. The fish have been long held as a symbol of good fortune and prosperity in traditional Chinese culture. Today, Koi fish still represent good luck at the heart of a huge Internet crowd, as netizens like forwarding posts featuring koi fish with messages like “your dreams will come true” in the hope of attracting blessing and good luck.

Netizens also like calling those who lucked out as “koi fish.” In 2018, two of the most popular “koi fish” on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, are a 20-year-old singer named Yang Chaoyue, who won the third place on a popular online talent show out of pure chance, and a 26-year-old Beijing-based IT engineer “Xinxiaodai,” who's dubbed the “national koi” for winning an online lottery sponsored by Alipay, the dominant mobile payment platform

This term literally means “to officially announce” or “an official announcement.” It went viral after two Chinese celebrities, Zhao Liying and Feng Shaofeng, who amassed tens of millions of Weibo followers, used the term to officially disclose their union on Weibo on October 16. The term has flooded Chinese social media since then after being reposted by fans.

Gàng jīng describes a type of person who's addicted to disagreeing with others – online and offline – for the sake of argument. It's similar to "keyboard warrior," a type of netizen who takes to the Internet to attack, or troll others, or express their dissent.

Giant infant: To characterize someone who's narcissistic, self-absorbed, immature, lacks emotional intelligence and often struggles to find independence or self-sufficiency in adulthood. It's widely used by netizens to mock childish behavior by grownups who cause social problems in public spaces.

For example, the latest giant infant features the emergence of "seat robbing" passengers on China's trains and buses. Over the past months, actions of multiple passengers went viral for claiming seats purchased by others.

“Leave/withdraw from the chat” simply means when someone chooses to leave a chat group in social messaging apps like WeChat or WhatsApp, or withdraw themselves from a social circle. However, it's widely generalized by Chinese netizens and media to describe the pattern of behavior of high-profile political leaders who have chosen to withdraw from previously established terms and coalitions, for instance, Brexit, the Paris Climate Agreement and so on.

The term “Buddha-like” actually has nothing to do with Buddhism. It was first used in 2014 by a Japanese magazine to describe some male millennials, who live alone and concentrate on their own hobbies. The phrase, which went viral on Chinese social media last December, denotes a care-free and detached Chinese generation who feels content with life, and navigate society with a lackadaisical attitude.

The word originally referred to waiters who worked at teahouses, restaurant and inns. This year, the word was redefined and used for government officials who offer assistance to entrepreneurs and spare no effort to promote economic development and reform.

Originated from Singaporean Mandopop singer/songwriter JJ Lin's song "Drunken Red Cliff," the line literally means “gazing into someone's eyes." It was popularized by netizens after many altered it to fit into entertaining or corny quotes that rhyme with the phrase. 

The term refers to something that sets a characteristic example or standard of its kind. It reportedly began trending when a video went viral showing a Shanghai police officer who acted "by the book" to forcibly demand a driver's license. The term can also be used to describe something that went perfectly wrong.