斩杀线 (zhǎn shā xiàn) — Kill Line / The Floor You Cannot Fall Through

Example Usage

上班族每个月的斩杀线是房租和信用卡账单，过了才能喘口气。

For office workers, the monthly kill line is rent plus the credit card bill — clear that and you can finally breathe.

Cultural Context

Originally from idol competition shows like 创造101 and 青春有你, 斩杀线 is the minimum vote threshold a contestant must reach to avoid elimination. The term has since migrated far beyond showbiz — it's now the everyday language of precarity. Young Chinese use it for the income floor that covers rent before the month ends, the GPA that keeps a scholarship alive, the KPI that stops a layoff notice, the exam score that determines which university tier you enter. Life becomes a sequence of kill lines to stay above. There is no partial credit: you cross the line or you are cut.