Explainer | What is ‘smell of work’? China youth invent new term to describe whiff of exploitation

We all know that feeling at the end of a hard working day, a mixture of mental fatigue and physical exhaustion envelopes your being.

But what does it smell like?

Well, the term ban wei, or “smell of work” has been invented on social media in China to describe it.

The Post explains.

The smell

Ban wei can evoke the bitter taste of iced Americano coffee, the stench of sweat, the lingering scent of cigarette smoke and the whiff of “dangling a carrot” symbolising empty promises from the boss.