破冰 (pò bīng)

ETYMOLOGY

The social evolution of pobing began with multinational corporations' entry into China in the 2000s. When translated as 『icebreaking』 for team-building activities, the concept took root with Chinese characteristics.

A pivotal moment came in 2013 when pop diva Na Ying used 『Let's pobing first』 to comfort a contestant on The Voice of China, generating 20 million views in 24 hours. Tech giants like Alibaba later adapted it into controversial 『pobing culture』, requiring new hires to disclose personal histories.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital pobing. Chinese teams were 41% more likely than Western counterparts to use icebreakers in Zoom meetings. Dating app Tantan reported 27% higher match rates after introducing 『36 pobing questions』 feature.

Examples:

『New members must send a red envelope for pobing』 (common 2022 WeChat group rule)『Using 『your recent song on repeat』 as pobing topic increases replies by 35%』 (Momo app report)