It is now April 2026, and "Jia Hao" has once again become the most popular internet meme.
From the initial 2024 version, the "Eludik" EDM Jia Hao, to later iterations like Military Training Jia Hao, Computer Science Jia Hao, and Rainy Day Jia Hao, the meaning of this term has evolved multiple times, ultimately becoming a synonym for "that classmate in school who wasn't very skilled but loved to show off."
Students currently in school can use the term "Jia Hao" to complain about the people and things they encounter around them. Those who have left campus, the "middle-tier users," can take this opportunity to reminisce about their glory days and show off the quirky characters they met back then, giving the current "newbie users" a lesson or two.
Just when everyone thought the meaning of "Jia Hao" had basically stabilized, a new wave of self-media trends pushed the term to new heights. Today, people are gradually realizing that "Jia Hao" behavior is not limited by age or occasion; it is not confined solely to school settings.
For example, if you find someone playing Delta Force who insists on using the Wulong x Daniel Wu collaboration operator (no offense intended to the godfather of Delta Force economics), sets the resolution to a 4:3 stretched aspect ratio, always uses copied M14/M7/AWM weapons, and wears the "Old Sai Armor" with hearing enhancement and minimal negative effects, only to get eliminated immediately after executing a smooth combo upon entering the match, then they are undoubtedly a "Delta Force Jia Hao."
Another example is in the classic competitive game CS2. If you find someone constantly using "slow-motion bunny hopping" caused by poor technique, frequently switching to their knife to inspect it towards the floor, and finally getting kicked to death by an enemy who bumps into them during the inspection... without asking, this is also "Jia Hao."
Image source: Bilibili uploader @DED1E123
Besides the two classic examples above, other "gaming community Jia Hao phenomena" you might see include: the "Overwatch Jia Hao" who refuses to switch heroes against Mercy or Winston, fantasizing about a five-kill spree with just their melee weapon; the "Naraka Jia Hao" with an all-black character creation, playing Tarka Ji with dual katanas, and loving to spam emotes; the "Naruto Jia Hao" who likes to use ancient-style IDs like "Asking Sword at Baiyu Jing" and plays as ninjas like Sasuke or Minato... and so on. Different game genres, but the same level of "Jia Hao."
Having seen it so often, people can't help but exclaim, "I've been Jia Hao'd," when they encounter this type of "Jia Hao."
Moreover, this is not the limit of the term "Jia Hao" today. Leaving the gaming circle, where "copying builds to look cool and act like a pro" is most common, you can see people who like certain works, characters, or simply hold specific views being called "Jia Hao" in anime, manga, novels, and even serious literary discussion circles like those for Dream of the Red Chamber. It can be said that "where there are people, there is Jia Hao."
As the trend of identifying and mocking "Jia Hao" gradually became popular, to address the issue of insufficient supply relative to the existing stock of "Jia Hao," people developed various qualitative texts based on comments and chat logs. These texts vary in style but are full of that distinct "Jia Hao" flavor.
For example, the "Pretentious Jia Hao" who claims not to know what "Jia Hao" means because they just returned from abroad, only use the international version of TikTok, or have interests in finance and stocks and don't go online much.
Another example is the "Niche Jia Hao," who draws inspiration from the ancient "Eludik" era, lists things liked by peers to show their taste is different, and always ends with a "facepalm laughing crying" emoji.
And then there's the "Show-off Jia Hao," who must subtly hint through seemingly casual information that they have a partner and are incredibly charming...
Under this renewed wave of "Jia Hao" fever, people have also introduced the "Hao Intent Value" system, used to unleash intentional powerful punches...
I mean, to precisely identify different levels of Jia Hao.
If the "Hao Intent Value" is relatively low, in real life, this corresponds to the ordinary "Jia Hao" who occasionally throws air punches, mimics shooting hoops, or shouts "All correct!" when checking answers.
On the other hand, if the "Hao Intent Value" is off the charts, in real life, this corresponds to the "Ultra Instinct Hao," who is constantly in a "Jia Hao" state, continually trying to attract attention from others, yet completely oblivious to the disdainful glances they receive.
Image source: Bilibili uploader @Yukii酱_ (The video is a dramatization and does not feature a real Jia Hao)
The emergence of the term "Ultra Instinct Hao" has even sparked some philosophical musings among people—only when a person, like "Ultra Instinct Hao," is completely unaware of the "Jia Hao" nature of their actions and even enjoys them, are they a true "Jia Hao." If you realize that some of your previous behaviors were a bit "Jia Hao," you will restrain yourself, and thus you are no longer "Jia Hao." No matter how hard you try to mimic that feeling, you cannot truly return to the naturally seamless state of being "Jia Hao." Since everyone has been a "Jia Hao" at some point, there is no reason to harbor excessive malice towards "Jia Hao."
This is also because, as the "Jia Hao" topic heated up this year, the meaning of the term itself shifted from "someone who objectively acts pretentiously and affects others" to "someone the speaker subjectively finds pretentious." This shift has led to the abuse of the term "Jia Hao."
Nowadays, Everythinggj from accidentally forgetting an umbrella on a rainy day and having to walk home in the rain, to exercising normally on the playground, or even walking while listening to music with headphones, can be filmed and labeled as "Jia Hao." The term has shifted from good-natured teasing to a malicious word used to attack people one dislikes, becoming synonymous with terms like "Tang" and "SB" (idiot).
Fortunately, such people are not in the majority. Under posts and videos where "Jia Hao" is used for cyberbullying attacks, what I see most often is criticism of the poster's behavior, rather than blindly following the meme trend.
Although people often say that the internet is full of trolls who love deconstruction, it must be said that in this recent "Jia Hao" craze, I see a positive side of the contemporary internet. Phenomena like those mentioned above regarding "Jia Hao" actually reflect people's efforts to rebuild order after the original social order was deconstructed and disrupted.
Furthermore, if you think about it carefully, if someone clings to the concept of "Jia Hao" and always tries to label others with this term in reality or virtually, aren't they themselves a kind of "Meme Jia Hao" or "Identification Jia Hao"?
