ETYMOLOGY
The Sour Grape phenomenon began in 2018 when Chinese live-streaming platform Bilibili users spammed 'I'm lemon-ing' (我柠檬了) during esports tournaments. This evolved through three phases:
Cultural Code: Using lemon emojis on Xiaohongshu (China's Instagram) to comment on influencers' luxury displays without seeming hostileCommercialization: Taobao launched animated stickers showing lemon-shaped characters crying while holding credit cards - a satirical nod to consumer envyMainstream Adoption: During 2021 Spring Festival Gala (watched by 1.2 billion people), a comedy sketch advised youth to 'be strivers, not sour grapes'Psychology Insight: A 2023 Fudan University study analyzed 10M+ social media posts, finding that 68% of Sour Grape usage occurs in posts about housing prices/celebrity lifestyles. Researchers suggest it's a coping mechanism against China's neijuan (social involution), allowing digital natives to acknowledge inequality while maintaining 'mianzi' (social face).
Western Equivalent: Similar to Gen Z saying 'I'm seething' ironically on TikTok hauls, but with distinct Chinese characteristics of indirect emotional expression.