The Phenomenon of Abbreviation in Chinese Internet Discourse

The article examines the phenomenon of abbreviation as one of the most productive ways of word formation in Chinese Internet discourse. The relevance of the research is motivated by the growing interest of linguists in the study of Chinese Internet vocabulary and the peculiarities of their functioning in communication in a digital environment. The aim of the work is to identify the structural and semantic features of Chinese Internet abbreviations, as well as to determine their functional role in online communication. A focused study of Chinese abbreviations allows us to open ways to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the development of the Chinese Internet language and to form a theoretical basis for the standardization of linguistic norms and effective social regulation in the digital age. The empirical basis of the study is Internet abbreviations extracted from texts of Chinese social networks (WeChat, Weibo, TikTok, Bilibili, etc.), forums and messengers for 2020-2025. As a result of the study, the reasons for the large-scale spread of Chinese abbreviations are summarized: an increase in the speed of information exchange during online communication, the desire to save speech efforts, the influence of the Internet environment and the playful nature of online communication. The main groups of abbreviations have been identified: 1) hieroglyphic abbreviations; 2) alphabetic abbreviations; 3) numerical abbreviations; 4) abbreviations of mixed type; 5) letter emojis; the main problems caused by their excessive use are noted.

1. 57th Statistical Report on the Development of the Internet in China. Available from: https://www3.cnnic.cn/n4/2026/0304/c88-11549.html [accessed: 13.03.2026]. ((In Chinese.)

2. Jiang Yu. Cognitive research of modern Chinese abbreviations. Available from: https://www.sklib.cn/booklib/databasedetail?SiteID=122&Type=literature&ID=4586978&fromSubID= [accessed: 03.14.2026] (In Russ.)

3. Kachalova, K.G., Rudometova А. Yu, Kapitonova, N.S. The main types of abbreviation in the Chinese language. Sovremennye issledovaniya sotsial'nykh problem. 2020; 6(12): 107–118. Available from: http://doi.org/10.12731/2077-1770-2020-6-107-118 (In Russ.)

4. Zorina A.V. Anglicisms in modern Russian (using the example of Internet vocabulary). Kazan Linguistic Journal. 2018; T.1, 2 (1): 5–14. (In Russ.)

5. Prutskikh A.A., Liu Ts. Sources of the Chinese language Internet vocabulary (based on the material of 2022-2024)). Kazan Linguistic Journal. 2025;8(4):545-556. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26907/2658-3321.2025.8.4.545-556 (In Russ.)

6. Il'yushchenko N.S., Shifrina S.A. Sports Anglicisms in modern Russian. Kazan Linguistic Journal. 2024; 7(2): 203–212. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26907/2658-3321.2024.7.2.203-212 (In Russ.)

7. Sinishina O.O. Internet vocabulary in the modern Chinese language. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriia 13: Vostokovedenie. 2014; 3: 57–63. (In Russ.)