Meaning:

    “逼” is short for “装逼,” which means to “pretend to be classy,” and “格” means “level” or “grade.” Therefore, this term, coined by Chinese netizens and popular for a while, refers to the level of pretending to be classy. People pretend to be classier or richer than they actually are to satisfy their need to feel superior to others. You can call it vanity, but it’s also rooted in human nature. Netizens coined the phrase as if some kind of hierachy exists in faking one’s taste or social status, although everyone knows such a thing is so very superficial. Simply put, “逼格” means “the ability to impress.”

    Example:

    A: 你看《黄金时代》了吗？

    Nǐ kàn 《huángjīn shídài》 le ma?

    Have you seen “The Golden Era?”

    B: 没有，我看了《心花路放》。《黄金时代》太长，我就想乐一乐。

    Méiyǒu, wǒ kàn le 《xīnhuā lùfàng》。《Huángjīn shídài》 tài cháng, wǒ jìu xiǎng lèyīlè。

    No, but I’ve watched “Breakup Buddies.” “The Golden Era” is too long, and I just want to have fun.

    A: 《黄金时代》我看了两遍呢。

    《Huángjīn shídài》 wǒ kàn le liǎngbiàn ne。

    I watched “The Golden Era” twice.

    B: 我逼格不高，也不想拔高。

    Wǒ bīgé bùgāo, yě bùxiǎng bágāo。

    I never try to impress, and I have no intention of faking tastes.