'jiwa' parenting 鸡娃 jīwá

‘can’t fail at the starting line!’ a jiwa mother squawks at the child setting off to a multitude of cram schools

In Chinese slang, jiwa directly translates as 'chicken baby.' This colloquial term describes the trend of parents excessively urging their children to achieve academic and extracurricular excellence from very young. It indicates the undue pressure placed on children, including those not exceptionally talented, to attain significant accomplishments, reminiscent of 'hot-housing' or 'tiger parenting.' This reflects the high expectations and fierce competitiveness prevalent in modern Chinese educational culture.