卷 (juǎn): The character originally means "to roll" or "a scroll." But in this context, it's a shortening of 内卷 (nèijuǎn), which translates to "involution."
王 (wáng): Means "king," "monarch," or "champion."
In some translation it was literally translated as 'King of Scroll', some translated as 'King of Volume' or 'King of Involution'
So what is "Involution" (内卷)?
This is the key to understanding the term. Involution describes a social or economic phenomenon where increased input (effort, time, money) does not lead to increased output (rewards, benefits, spots in a good university). Instead, it just raises the baseline level of effort required from everyone to simply maintain their position.
A classic example:
Imagine everyone in a lecture hall can see the stage just fine. One person stands up to get a slightly better view. This forces the person behind them to stand up to see, and so on, until eventually, everyone is standing up and just as uncomfortable as when they were sitting—but now they're all exhausted from standing. No one's view actually improved; the standard effort required just went from "sitting" to "standing."
The Meaning of "卷王"
A 卷王 is the person who first stands up.
They are the ultimate embodiment of this hyper-competitive, zero-sum environment. The term is used with a complex mix of:
Respect/Awe: For their almost superhuman levels of diligence, discipline, and productivity.
Resentment/Annoyance: Because their actions force everyone else to work harder just to keep up, "ruining" a previously comfortable situation.
Exhaustion: Just watching them can be tiring.
Contexts and Examples of a 卷王
A 卷王 can be found in any competitive arena:
In School/University:
The student who not only finishes the assigned 20-page reading but also reads all the cited sources, writes a 5-page summary for themselves, and then asks the professor advanced questions that weren't covered. They make the curve brutal for everyone else.
In the Workplace (996 Culture):
The employee who voluntarily works until 10 PM every night and on weekends, not because they have to, but to "get ahead." This implicitly pressures colleagues to do the same to be seen as equally dedicated.
In Personal Life:
The friend who's not just learning a new language, but has already mastered three, is training for a marathon, and has a perfectly curated side-hustle Instagram account—all while working a full-time job.
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Related Terms
躺平 (tǎng píng): "To lie flat." This is the direct opposite of 内卷. It's a philosophy of rejecting the intense pressure to compete and achieve, instead choosing to opt out of the "rat race" altogether. The 卷王 and the person who 躺平 are ideological opposites.
摆烂 (bǎi làn): "To let it rot." Similar to 躺平 but more active; it's about not just opting out but also embracing underachievement as a form of protest.