Chinese Slang – 智商税 zhìshāng shuì

Posted on by tiffany

智商稅

Zhishang Shui

智商税 · Zhìshāng shuì
In one line
Literally “IQ tax” — money spent on useless or overpriced goods because of gullibility, misinformation, or misleading ads.
Definition

名词 NOUN

Literally meaning “IQ tax,” this internet slang describes money you waste on things that turn out to be useless, scams, or massive overcharges, as if you are paying a financial penalty for a temporary lack of judgment or skepticism.

It is commonly used when people fall for flashy online advertisements, overpriced trendy items, or ineffective health products.

Examples

例句

买mǎi这种zhèzhǒng几jǐ千qiān块kuài的de保健品bǎojiànpǐn根本gēnběn没用méiyòng，纯粹chúncuì是shì在zài交jiāo智商税zhìshāngshuì
Buying this kind of expensive health supplement is totally useless — it’s just paying an IQ tax.
你nǐ信xìn那个nèige网红wǎnghóng的de推荐tuījiàn？你nǐ真的zhēnde是shì在zài缴jiǎo智商税zhìshāngshuì欸ēi
You believed that influencer’s recommendation? You’re really paying the price for being too trusting.
我wǒ以前yǐqián买mǎi过guò网络wǎngluò上shàng的de奇怪qíguài减肥jiǎnféi药yào，后来hòulái才cái知道zhīdào是shì智商税zhìshāngshuì…
I once bought weird diet pills online. Later I realized it was just an IQ tax…
Dialogue

对话

A
欸ěi，我wǒ昨天zuótiān买mǎi了le一个yíge可以kěyǐ「三sān天tiān内nèi流利liúlì说shuō中文zhōngwén」的de线上xiànshàng课程kèchéng，结果jiéguǒ就是jiùshì一个yíge中国人Zhōngguórén用yòng中文zhōngwén念niàn一yì本běn书shū给gěi我wǒ听tīng，没有méiyǒu任何rènhé解释jiěshì，说shuō是shì跟gēn母语者mǔyǔzhě一样yíyàng方式fāngshì学xué中文zhōngwén
Hey, I bought this online course yesterday that promised I’d be fluent in Chinese in three days. Turns out it was just some guy reading a book out loud with zero explanation!
B
蛤há？真的zhēnde假的jiǎde？你nǐ花huā了le多少duōshǎo钱qián？
What? Seriously? How much did you pay?
A
快kuài 1000 块kuài…
Almost 1000 bucks…
B
哇wā，那nà你nǐ这zhè笔bǐ智商税zhìshāngshuì超chāo贵guì
Wow, that’s an expensive IQ tax!
A
我wǒ真的zhēnde学xué到dào一yí课kè：永远yǒngyuǎn不要búyào相信xiāngxìn标题biāotí太tài浮夸fúkuā的de广告guǎnggào
I definitely learned a lesson: never trust over-the-top ad titles.
Don’t mix these up

辨析

People often confuse different ways to talk about bad financial choices or scams. Here is how they compare:

TermWhat it actually meansTone
智商税zhìshāng shuì Money wasted on useless, overpriced, or scammy products due to gullibility Humorous, satirical internet slang
盘子pánzi A pushover or easy target who gets overcharged or ripped off (Taiwan slang) Colloquial, casual teasing
肥羊féiyáng A wealthy or gullible target exploited by merchants or scammers Vivid, descriptive slang
当冤大头dāng yuāndàtóu Being ripped off or tricked into paying too much money or taking the blame Colloquial, everyday expression
受骗上当shòupiàn shàngdàng Falling for a scam or being defrauded General, descriptive

The quick test: 智商税 mocks buying useless things because of marketing, 盘子 and 肥羊 describe the person being easily overcharged, 当冤大头 is about being ripped off, and 受骗上当 refers to formal scams.

Flashcards

快闪卡

Tap a card to flip it.

智商税
zhìshāng shuì
IQ tax — money wasted on useless or scammy goods
盘子
pánzi
Pushover / easy target for overpricing (Taiwan)
肥羊
féiyáng
Fat sheep / gullible target easily exploited by merchants
冤大头
yuāndàtóu
Sucker — someone easily ripped off or overcharged
Beyond Chinese

跨语言

The concept of paying a metaphorical tax or penalty for being gullible exists across cultures.

Korean · 호구세
호구세 (hogu se, “pushover tax”)
그런 뻔한 사기에 당하다니, 호구세를 톡톡히 냈네.
Falling for such an obvious scam means you paid a heavy pushover tax.
Japanese · 情弱税
情弱税 (jōjaku zei, “information-weakness tax”)
情弱税を払わされた気分だよ。
I feel like I had to pay the information-weakness tax.
Etymology fact
The term “zhìshāng shuì” (IQ tax) humorously frames gullibility and falling for marketing gimmicks as a government tax. The underlying joke is that if you lack critical thinking or skepticism, you will inevitably have to pay this metaphorical “tax” to merchants selling useless products.
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