Meaning:

    “鸡汤” means “chicken soup,” and “文” means “essay.” This term, widely used by Chinese netizens, came from “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series of books. Motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen collaborated on the first book in 1993, compiling inspirational, true stories they had heard from their audience members. The book became a major best seller and something of a social phenomenon. Therefore, “鸡汤文,” literally translated as “chicken soup essay,” refers to short inspirational stories meant to encourage and cheer up the readers. Nowadays, this kind of stories comprise a large part of the most frequently shared entries on Chinese social media, apart from show biz gossip and health tips.

    Example:

    A: 你父母用微信吗？

    Nǐ fùmǔ yòng wēixìn ma?

    Do your parents use WeChat?

    B: 用啊，他们最喜欢分享养生知识和鸡汤文。

    Yòng a, tāmen zuì xǐhuan fēnxiǎng yǎngshēng zhīshí hé jītāngwén。

    Sure they do. They like sharing health tips and chicken soup essays most.

    A: 你喜欢鸡汤文吗？

    Nǐ xǐhuan jītāngwén ma?

    Do you like chicken soup essays?

    B: 不喜欢，我觉得鸡汤文里的故事太美好了，不真实。

    Bù xǐhuan, wǒ juédé jītāngwén lǐ de gùshì tài měihǎo le, bù zhēnshí。

    Not at all. I find the stories are too good to be true.