Junxin Long

"Caotai Banzi" (Grass-Roots Troupe), originally a term in traditional opera, rapidly gained traction in online spaces in late 2023 and emerged as a landmark internet buzzword in 2024. Its semantic meaning has undergone significant generalization in frequent use, adhering to inherent laws of the linguistic system. From the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, this paper systematically explores the semantic generalization path of "Caotai Banzi" as an internet buzzword—its extension from the original context to diverse scenarios and the derivation of rich semantic connotations in this process. This study intends to provide new case support for semantic research, deepen the understanding of internet language phenomena, and reveal the underlying social and cultural implications through its communication context.

Conceptual Metaphor; Internet Buzzwords; Semantic Generalization; "Caotai Banzi" (Grass-Roots Troupe)

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