Meaning:

    “妈” means “mother,” and “癌” means “cancer.” The term, coined by Chinese netizens, refers to a typical personality that makes a person always worry about others. If a man is “diagnosed” with “妈癌,” he will voluntarily think about being in other people’s shoes and be over-considerate. Chinese netizens use “癌” to emphasize a particular kind of mental illness that cannot be cured.

    Example:

    A: 我有点受不了Celia这个人了。

    Wǒ yǒudiǎn shòu bù liǎo Celia zhègè rén le.

    I can’t bear Celia anymore.

    B: 为什么这么说？

    Wèi shénme zhème shuō?

    Why do you say that?

    A: 她实在太关心我了，成天为我考虑这考虑那的，可是我从没要求她这么做啊。她还总是告诉我该怎么做，我又不是小孩子，我都有点烦了。

    Tā shízài tài guānxīn wǒ le, chéngtiān wèi wǒ kǎolǜ zhè kǎolǜ nà de, kěshì wǒ cóngméi yāoqiǘ tā zhème zuò a. Tā hái zǒngshì gàosù wǒ gāi zěnme zuò, wǒ yòu búshì xiǎo háizǐ, wǒ dōu yǒudiǎn fán le.

    She cares for me too much. She thinks about everything for me, but I never asked her to do so. She also tells me what to do. I am not a kid anymore; it is really annoying.

    B: 所以我们都说她患了“妈癌”。习惯就好了。

    Suǒyǐ wǒmēn dōu shuō tā huànlě “mā’ái.” Xíguan jiǜ hǎole.

    That’s why we say she is ill with “mother cancer.” All you can do is to get used to it.