"Encroaching on someone’s interests" — Phrase of the Week
Top education influencer says he's stepping back from live-streaming — but why?
Our phrase of the week is: "encroaching on someone’s interests" (动了别人的蛋糕 dòng le bié rén de dàn gāo)
Context
China’s national college entrance exam, the gaokao (高考), was taken this year by over 13 million students on 7–10 June.
“Gaokao application advisors” (高考志愿规划师) flooded social media feeds in the weeks leading up to the exams, offering paid help on the complex process of “choosing preferred universities and majors” (填报志愿 in Chinese) — the next step after finishing the gaokao.
The application process is now so daunting, that a popular (and beautifully short) saying sums it up perfectly:
“It’s 70% how you perform on the exam, and 30% how you submit your application.”
七分考，三分报。
And it’s that complexity which has allowed “gaokao planning advisors” to flourish.
Zhang Xuefeng (张雪峰) is the biggest name in this booming industry. Outspoken and sometimes controversial, he’s built a thriving business helping thousands of students with their college applications.
His “Dream Card” (梦想卡) digital courses are priced at $1,800—$2,600, which all sold out this year. Some parents even pay Zhang up to $28,000 an hour for one-on-one advice.
So it came as a surprise earlier in June, just before the gaokao, when Zhang Xuefeng made an abrupt and emotional announcement during a live broadcast:
“It’s not easy working in our line of business. I’ve encroached on too many people’s interests, and there are things I can’t be entirely open about.
But it’s also possible… that this might be the last time you see me online.”
“干我们这个行当不容易的，我动了太多人的蛋糕了，有些东西我不能说得过于直白。但是也有可能，这是你最后一次在网上看见我…… [1]
gàn wǒmen zhège hángdang bù róngyì de, wǒ dòng le tài duō rén de dàngāo le, yǒuxiē dōngxi wǒ bù néng shuō de guòyú zhíbái. Dànshì yě yǒu kěnéng, zhè shì nǐ zuìhòu yícì zài wǎngshàng kànjiàn wǒ……
And with that, we have our Sinica Phrase of the Week.
What it means
“Encroached on too many people’s interests” is adapted from a common Chinese phrase which literally translates as “moved someone else’s cake” (动了别人的蛋糕).
While there’s no official source, the phrase has been widely used in spoken Chinese since the early 2000s and likely traces back to the 1998 business fable, Who Moved My Cheese? by American author Spencer Johnson.
The book follows two mice and two tiny humans navigating a maze in search of cheese, which symbolizes success or happiness. When the cheese is moved, each character reacts differently, highlighting how people handle change. Its core message is that adapting quickly and embracing change is essential for personal and business success.
The book became hugely popular in China even before its official translation was released, during a period of market reforms, rapid growth, and entrepreneurial success. The title was initially translated as “谁动了我的奶酪” (“Who Moved My Cheese?”), but “cheese” (奶酪) was later replaced by “cake” (蛋糕), giving rise to the phrase we know today.
In modern Chinese, “cake” (蛋糕) is a metaphor for one’s share of resources, benefits, profits, or power—vested or commercial interests. This capitalist metaphor, a linguistic import, came from the widespread phrase “how to divide the cake” (怎么分蛋糕).
Combining these ideas, when someone’s cake is “moved” in Chinese, it means they’ve lost something or been disadvantaged.
Today, “moving someone’s cake” extends beyond economics: it’s also used in politics to describe “stepping on someone’s toes” or threatening their interests.
In Zhang Xuefeng’s recent emotional outburst, it’s unclear whose cake he might have moved. It could be political—perhaps he upset someone influential, as other high-profile figures like Hu Xijin (胡锡进) and Sima Nan (司马南) have done recently.
Or it might simply be complaints or lawsuits from unhappy customers against his company. In that case, the phrase could also be translated as he’s “upset too many people.”
Andrew Methven is the author of RealTime Mandarin, a resource which helps you bridge the gap to real-world fluency in Mandarin, stay informed about China, and communicate with confidence—all through weekly immersion in real news. Subscribe for free here.
Read more about how this story is being discussed in the Chinese media in this week’s RealTime Mandarin.
