What does YYDS mean?

YYDS is the most successful Chinese internet acronym of the 2020s. It stands for 永远的神 (yǒngyuǎn de shén — “eternal god”), and it means “the greatest of all time” — the Chinese GOAT.

The origin: during a 2020 League of Legends esports broadcast, a caster shouted “Uzi, 永远的神!” praising the legendary player Uzi. The moment was so iconic that 永远的神 was compressed to YYDS and spread from gaming to the entire Chinese internet within months.

Today, YYDS is everywhere. A delicious meal is YYDS. A reliable friend is YYDS. A movie that makes you cry is YYDS. Anything that is the best at what it does can be YYDS. The acronym is so widespread that it has moved offline — you hear people say it in conversation, see it on restaurant signs, and encounter it in advertising copy.

The cultural significance: YYDS represents a generation’s preferred form of praise — short, intense, internet-native, and slightly hyperbolic. It is the Chinese equivalent of the all-caps GOAT or “absolute legend.” The fact that a four-letter acronym can carry this much weight is a testament to how thoroughly internet culture has reshaped Chinese expression.