| Chinese | 巨婴 or 巨嬰 |
|---|---|
| Exact meaning | A "grown-up infant" |
| Origin | A Country of Giant Infants |
Giant infant (Chinese: 巨婴 or 巨嬰), spelled 'ju ying' in Hanyu Pinyin, alternatively translated as giant baby, is a Chinese buzzword that originally denotes a baby of giant size, but is now generally used to describe a psychologically immature adult. The term was first used by Chinese consulting psychologist Wu Zhihong in 2016 in his book titled A Country of Giant Infants.
In A Country of Giant Infants, the concept refers to a "grown-up baby" who is physically an adult, but whose mental development is still at the level of an infant before the age of one. The nation formed by these giant babies is called the "Giant Baby Nation".
These "giant infants" are afflicted with a range of mental disorders – anxiety, depression, paranoia, persecution mania, feelings of helplessness. They are formed unconsciously. Being taken care of is not the most important characteristic of a giant infant, but rather the lack of opportunity to become an independent individual.
See also
References
- ^ Helen Gao (2017-08-09). "China's Giant Infants". The New York Times.
- ^ "The final word". Week In China. Dec 14, 2018.
- ^ "Feel the social and cultural pulse from buzzwords". People's Daily. 2018-12-11.
- ^ "A "giant baby" is not a "baby"". Liberty Times. 2019-05-01.
- ^ "'Grown-up babies' harmful to social harmony". China Daily. 2018-12-07.
- ^ "Some adults are still babies psychologically". Apple Daily. 2018-09-19.
- ^ "The book "Giant Baby Nation" is prohibited". Apple Daily. 2018-09-14.
- ^ "China's giant babies". The Economist. Feb 23, 2017.
- ^ Zhang Yan (2017-01-13). "Interview with Wu Zhihong". Initium Media.