预制××

What does 预制×× mean?

预制 comes from 预制菜, factory-prepared dishes that restaurants simply reheat. Netizens now attach it to anything that feels formulaic or staged: 预制剧情 (pre-scripted plot twists), 预制人设 (a manufactured public persona), 预制短视频 (template-made videos), even 预制感情 (emotions that seem performed). Calling something 预制 means 'this was cooked up in advance and served as if it were fresh'. It is mildly mocking rather than harsh, and its natural opposite is 活人感, the feeling that something is genuinely human. Close English equivalents would be 'canned', 'cookie-cutter' or 'scripted'.

Where does 预制×× come from?

It grew out of public debates in 2025 about restaurant chains serving pre-made dishes without telling customers. Netizens then began using 预制 for anything standardised or inauthentic. 《咬文嚼字》 included 预制×× in its top ten buzzwords of 2025.

How to use 预制××

• 这综艺的冲突一看就是预制的。
  Zhè zōngyì de chōngtū yí kàn jiù shì yùzhì de.
  You can tell at a glance that the drama on this reality show is pre-made.
• 他的道歉听起来像预制文案。
  Tā de dàoqiàn tīng qǐlai xiàng yùzhì wén'àn.
  His apology sounds like a pre-written template.