Meaning:

    “方” literally means “square,” but in this context, the slangy term has nothing to do with this literal meaning. Often used by Chinese netizens for a comic effect, this term is the mispronunciation of another phrase “慌了,” which means to “panic.” In Fujian dialect, people would pronounce all characters starting with an “h” sound as those starting with a “f” sound. People use the phrase humorously when they are shocked or nervous.

    Example:

    A: 你的暑假作业写完了吗？

    Nǐ de shǔjià zuòyè xiě wán le ma?

    Have you finished your assignment for the summer vacation?

    B: 还有两篇作文没写。

    Háiyǒu liǎngpiān zuòwén méi xiě。

    I’ve still got two essays to write.

    A: 那你还不抓紧？快开学你就方了。

    Nà nǐ hái bù zhuājǐn? Kuài kāixué nǐ jìu fāngle。

    Why not hurry up? You will panic as the new semester draws near.

    B: 我正头疼呢，要写读书笔记，可是我没读什么书啊。

    Wǒ zhèng tóuténg ne, yào xiě dúshū bǐjì, kěshì wǒ méi dú shénme shū a。

    This troubles me a lot. I have to write book reviews, but I haven’t read any books yet.