mǐngǎn cí: 敏感词 - Sensitive Word, Censored Term, Banned Keyword

• Keywords: 敏感词, mǐngǎn cí, sensitive words, censored words China, banned keywords China, internet censorship, Great Firewall, GFW, what words are banned in China, internet slang, he xie, online censorship.
• Summary: Discover the meaning of 敏感词 (mǐngǎn cí), the “sensitive words” or “banned keywords” that are central to understanding internet censorship in China. This guide explores how the Great Firewall (GFW) automatically filters these politically or socially sensitive terms, forcing Chinese netizens to invent clever slang and code words to bypass detection. Learn what kinds of words are considered sensitive in China and why this concept is a crucial key to navigating the modern Chinese internet and its unique communication culture.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): mǐn gǎn cí
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: N/A
• Concise Definition: A word or phrase that is subject to automated filtering and censorship on the Chinese internet due to its political or social sensitivity.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine you write a post online, but the moment you hit 'publish', it's automatically deleted. The reason is likely a `敏感词`. These are words the government deems “sensitive”—often related to politics, controversial historical events, or social dissent. The existence of `敏感词` has sparked a constant cat-and-mouse game where internet users invent clever puns, code words, and acronyms to discuss forbidden topics. Understanding this concept is essential for grasping the reality of online communication in China.

• 敏 (mǐn): This character means “sensitive,” “quick,” or “agile.” It suggests a rapid and sharp reaction to something.
• 感 (gǎn): This character means “to feel,” “a sense,” or “to be moved.” It contains the heart radical (心), linking it to emotions and feelings.
• 词 (cí): This character simply means “word” or “term.”

When combined, 敏感 (mǐngǎn) means “sensitive.” Adding 词 (cí) creates 敏感词 (mǐngǎn cí), which literally translates to “sensitive word.” The name perfectly describes its function: a word that triggers a sensitive reaction from the automated censorship system.

• The Great Firewall and Social Stability: The concept of `敏感词` is inseparable from China's internet censorship apparatus, known informally as the Great Firewall of China (防火长城 fánghuǒ chángchéng). The official goal of this system is to 维护社会稳定 (wéihù shèhuì wěndìng), or “maintain social stability.” From the government's perspective, censoring certain topics prevents social unrest, protects the authority of the Communist Party, and promotes a “harmonious society” (和谐社会 héxié shèhuì). `敏感词` are the specific triggers that the system is programmed to find and eliminate.
• Comparison to Western “Content Moderation”: While Western platforms like Facebook and X (Twitter) also moderate content, their focus and source of authority are different. Western moderation typically targets hate speech, harassment, misinformation, and graphic violence, and is enforced by private companies according to their terms of service (albeit under legal and public pressure). The debate often revolves around free speech vs. user safety. In contrast, China's `敏感词` system is a state-level, centralized, and politically motivated tool. Its primary purpose is not to protect users from each other, but to protect the state from dissent and perceived threats to its legitimacy. The list of words is secret, ever-changing, and a direct instrument of state policy.
• The Culture of Circumvention: The strict control over speech has not silenced discussion but has instead fostered a unique and vibrant online subculture. Chinese 网民 (wǎngmín), or “netizens,” have become masters of creative circumvention, using homophones (谐音 xiéyīn), acronyms, memes, and even upside-down text to discuss sensitive topics. This constant linguistic innovation is a direct response to the existence of `敏感词`.

• Social Media: This is the most common context for encountering `敏感词`. A user might find their post on Weibo (微博), Douyin (抖音), or WeChat (微信) is instantly deleted, fails to send, or is visible only to themselves. This is called 被和谐了 (bèi héxié le), or “being harmonized,” an ironic nod to the government's goal of a “harmonious society.”
• Identifying the Word: Often, the user isn't told which word was the offending one. They must guess and edit their post, replacing potential `敏感词` with euphemisms. For example, instead of a sensitive leader's name, they might use a well-known nickname or acronym.
• Dynamic Nature: The list of `敏感词` is not static. It changes based on current events. During major political meetings, anniversaries of historical events (like the Tiananmen Square protests), or breaking news stories, the list expands dramatically to control the narrative.
• Connotation: The term `敏感词` itself is neutral and descriptive. People use it matter-of-factly to describe the technical reality of the internet they use every day. It's not a protest word in itself, but a simple label for a feature of the system.

• Example 1:
  • 我的微博被删了，里面肯定有敏感词。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ de wēibó bèi shān le, lǐmiàn kěndìng yǒu mǐngǎn cí.
  • English: My Weibo post was deleted, it must have contained a sensitive word.
  • Analysis: This is a very common way you'd hear the term used. It's a statement of fact and a deduction about why a post disappeared.
• Example 2:
  • 发帖前，最好检查一下有没有敏感词。
  • Pinyin: Fātiē qián, zuìhǎo jiǎnchá yīxià yǒu méiyǒu mǐngǎn cí.
  • English: Before you publish the post, you should check if there are any sensitive words.
  • Analysis: This is practical advice one netizen might give another, highlighting the self-censorship that `敏感词` encourage.
• Example 3:
  • “六四”这个日期是一个非常典型的敏感词。
  • Pinyin: “Liùsì” zhège rìqī shì yīgè fēicháng diǎnxíng de mǐngǎn cí.
  • English: The date “June 4th” is a very classic example of a sensitive word.
  • Analysis: This sentence gives a concrete example of a term that is almost always censored. Note the use of “六四” (six-four) to refer to the Tiananmen Square incident of June 4th, 1989.
• Example 4:
  • 你不能直接提那个名字，那是个敏感词。你得用谐音代替。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bùnéng zhíjiē tí nàge míngzì, nà shì ge mǐngǎn cí. Nǐ děi yòng xiéyīn dàitì.
  • English: You can't mention that name directly, it's a sensitive word. You have to use a homophone instead.
  • Analysis: This shows the practical consequence and the common solution: using `谐音 (xiéyīn)`, or homophones, to evade detection.
• Example 5:
  • 为什么“小熊维尼”也成了敏感词？
  • Pinyin: Wèishéme “xiǎo xióng wéiní” yě chéng le mǐngǎn cí?
  • English: Why did “Winnie the Pooh” also become a sensitive word?
  • Analysis: This refers to a real-world (and often surprising) example where memes comparing the cartoon character to China's leader, Xi Jinping, led to the character's name becoming a `敏感词`.
• Example 6:
  • 这个平台的敏感词过滤系统太厉害了，什么都发不出去。
  • Pinyin: Zhège píngtái de mǐngǎn cí guòlǜ xìtǒng tài lìhài le, shénme dōu fā bù chūqù.
  • English: This platform's sensitive word filtering system is too powerful, I can't post anything.
  • Analysis: This focuses on the technical aspect—the `过滤系统 (guòlǜ xìtǒng)` or “filtering system”—that enforces the censorship.
• Example 7:
  • 最近因为那个社会事件，敏感词列表又更新了。
  • Pinyin: Zuìjìn yīnwèi nàge shèhuì shìjiàn, mǐngǎn cí lièbiǎo yòu gēngxīn le.
  • English: Because of that recent social incident, the list of sensitive words has been updated again.
  • Analysis: This highlights the dynamic and event-driven nature of the censorship list.
• Example 8:
  • 我不确定“女权”现在算不算是敏感词。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bù quèdìng “nǚquán” xiànzài suàn bu suànshì mǐngǎn cí.
  • English: I'm not sure if “feminism” is considered a sensitive word right now.
  • Analysis: This shows the uncertainty and ambiguity users face, as topics can become sensitive over time. `女权 (nǚquán)` has indeed become a more sensitive topic in recent years.
• Example 9:
  • 为了规避敏感词，网友们发明了各种各样的“火星文”。
  • Pinyin: Wèile guībì mǐngǎn cí, wǎngyǒu men fāmíng le gèzhǒng gèyàng de “huǒxīng wén”.
  • English: In order to evade sensitive words, netizens have invented all sorts of “Martian Language” (internet slang).
  • Analysis: This links `敏感词` to the creation of `火星文 (huǒxīng wén)`, a term for internet slang composed of non-standard characters, symbols, and numbers used to make text unreadable to censorship algorithms.
• Example 10:
  • 外国记者在写关于中国的报道时，必须了解哪些是敏感词。
  • Pinyin: Wàiguó jìzhě zài xiě guānyú Zhōngguó de bàodào shí, bìxū liǎojiě nǎxiē shì mǐngǎn cí.
  • English: When foreign journalists write reports about China, they must understand which terms are sensitive words.
  • Analysis: This sentence demonstrates the term's relevance beyond casual social media use, extending to professional fields like journalism.

• Not Just Profanity: A common mistake is to equate `敏感词` with swear words or profanity (`脏话 zānghuà`). While some vulgar words might be filtered, the core concept of `敏感词` is political and social. A term like “revolution” is not profane, but it is highly sensitive. The consequence for using a `敏感词` (account suspension, post deletion) is often far more severe than for using a simple curse word.
• A Secret, Dynamic List: Do not assume there is a public, fixed list of `敏感词` you can memorize. The list is an internal government secret, and it is constantly being updated by algorithms and human censors in real-time based on current events. This unpredictability is a key feature of the system.
• More Than Just Words: While `词` means “word,” the censorship system is becoming increasingly sophisticated. It can now detect sensitive images, combinations of words that are innocent apart but sensitive together, and even references in video and audio. The concept of `敏感词` is the entry point to this much larger system of content control.

• 防火长城 (fánghuǒ chángchéng): The Great Firewall (GFW). The overarching technological and legislative system that blocks foreign websites and filters for `敏感词`.
• 审查 (shěnchá): Censorship. The official act of reviewing and suppressing content. `敏感词` are a primary tool used for `审查`.
• 和谐 (héxié): Harmony. Often used ironically as a verb meaning “to be censored” (e.g., 我的帖子被和谐了 - “My post was harmonized/censored”).
• 翻墙 (fānqiáng): Literally “to climb over the wall.” The common term for using a VPN or proxy to bypass the Great Firewall and access the global internet.
• 删帖 (shāntiè): To delete a post. This is the most frequent and direct consequence of using a `敏感词`.
• 炸号 (zhàhào): “To blow up an account.” Slang for having a social media account permanently banned, often for repeatedly posting sensitive content.
• 维稳 (wěiwěn): Short for 维护稳定 (wéihù wěndìng), “to maintain stability.” The official government justification for censorship and the `敏感词` system.
• 网民 (wǎngmín): Netizen; an active internet user. The group most affected by `敏感词` and the most creative at circumventing them.
• 谐音 (xiéyīn): Homophone. A primary technique used to create code words to evade `敏感词` filters (e.g., using “河蟹 héxiè - river crab” for “和谐 héxié - harmony/censored”).