Meaning:

“摆” means “to display,” and “烂” means “rotten.” This term is first used by Chinese sports commentators in their explanation of a certain phenomenon observed in NBA games. Some teams would tank their matches so that their bad ranking will guarantee optimal chances in their lottery drafts and this is called “摆烂.” Similarly, the term is used in scenarios where a gamer tanks a game after losing hope of winning it, although there is no potential gain for them in losing. In general, the term means “to let things deteriorate.”

Example:

A: 你怎么又迟到了？

Nǐ zěnme yòu chídào le？

Why are you late again?

B: 说实话，我不喜欢这份工作。

Shuō shíhuà ，wǒ bù xǐhuan zhèfèn gōngzuò。

To be honest, this is not my dream job.

A: 那也不能摆烂啊。现在找份工作可不容易。

Nà yě bùnéng bǎilàn a。Xiànzài zhǎo fèn gōngzuò kě bùróngyì。

That is no excuse for giving up effort. It’s not easy to find a job these days.