German Barbarology is a grassroots theory originating from China. Without understanding Chinese or not being Chinese, it is very difficult to grasp its interesting and powerful aspects.
This theory initially stemmed from the various discomforts experienced by Chinese international students living in Germanic countries, such as racial discrimination, poor diet, and crude, inferior lifestyles.
Here I provide a fairly comprehensive PDF that includes some articles that have since been deleted from their original platform, Zhihu. If you're interested, feel free to take a look. It's entirely in Chinese and contains a significant amount of Chinese "slang," so non-native speakers are expected to find it quite difficult to understand.
But you can also try using the translation capabilities of LLMs, just like this reply of mine

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I saw that mentioned on Reddit.
**Origin:**
"Germanic Victory Theory" (also known as "Germanic Studies" or "Germanic Barbarian Studies") is an internet slang term rather than a formal academic discipline. It was created by netizens as a satirical expression based on historical events and contemporary reality. The term originally emerged from a humorous take on the rise of the Germanic peoples in history and later evolved into an ironic critique of exaggerated victory narratives in the present.
It is widely used to comment on individuals or groups who, despite being in adversity, insist on inevitable victory with excessive confidence. The origin of this concept can be traced back to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where Arminius (later known as Hermann) led Germanic tribes to defeat the Roman legions. This event was later mythologized by German nationalists. Since the 19th century, Hermann’s image has been repeatedly reinterpreted, and among far-right circles, it has developed into a typical paradigm of "Germanic Victory Theory"—the belief that the Germanic people are destined to triumph over foreign oppression. This fatalistic view of victory has been used to justify notions of ethnic superiority.
**Explanation:**
**The First Law of the Germanic Barbarians:** *The Germanic Barbarians are always winning. The more similar one is to them, the more one wins; the less similar, the less one wins.*
This law explains many social phenomena.
For example, whenever the Germanic Barbarians discuss China's advancements, outlets like the BBC always follow up with *"But at what cost?"* The First Law explains this well—because China is a heretic, and heretics are not allowed to win.
Another example is how the Germanic Barbarians love "freedom of navigation" near China. Even though China is far more powerful, broken-down European ships still insist on coming. Again, the First Law provides a perfect explanation—China, as a heretic, must never be allowed to win against the Germanic Barbarians.
According to the First Law, Western Europe and the United States are the **First Caste**, always winning. Eastern Europe is the **Second Caste**—they have some minor issues but still always win. Russia is the **Third Caste**—it wins a lot but loses occasionally. Japan and South Korea belong to the **Fourth Caste**, where the Germanic Barbarians *permit* them to win. The **Fifth Caste** consists of those in the Third World who admire the Germanic Barbarians—people whom the Barbarians *allow* to *appear* as if they are winning. The hierarchy between these castes is strictly enforced.
This is why people from the Fifth Caste sometimes mock the Chinese—after all, they see them as heretics. Members of the Fifth Caste take great pride in being at the bottom tier of Germanic Barbarian ideology.
**Application**:
This theory helps explain a major source of confusion for many Chinese people:
**"On what basis do you look down on me?"**
As China's understanding of the world deepens, this confusion has only grown more prominent.
A few examples:
* Why do impoverished Syrians mock Chinese people with *"ching chang chong"*?
* Why did a Ukrainian official claim that Chinese and Indian people are intellectually inferior?
* Why are Indians constantly comparing themselves to China, brimming with confidence?
* At the start of the trade war, why did so many people in Hong Kong believe China was doomed to lose? Why did they question why China would even compete with the U.S. over *"Made in China 2025"*? Wouldn’t it be better to just keep making shirts and socks?
* Why do tiny, insignificant countries dare to send warships right up to China’s doorstep?
For Chinese people, this is a **genuine** source of bewilderment. It’s not about arrogance—it’s that they **truly** can’t understand it.
I shared Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra with some Saudis, telling them it has **1,500 horsepower**, is the **fastest four-door car**, and is **incredibly powerful**.
The Saudis didn’t believe it. They pulled out their phones to check—**Tesla, McLaren, Maserati—none were faster than the SU7 Ultra**.
I then said, *"And it’s super cheap too—only $70,000!"*
The Saudis responded, *"Oh, for a Chinese-made car, that’s too expensive. Because Chinese cars have poor quality."*
To someone who thinks in terms of **performance**, this logic is **incomprehensible**. If my car is **faster than yours**, **smarter than yours**, doesn’t that mean **its quality is better**?
But through the lens of **Germanic Barbarian Theory**, this makes perfect sense—**quality has nothing to do with performance; it is purely determined by caste.**
one more
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Take the recent example of the **Type 055 fleet circling Australia**—the reaction from this Aussie guy in the picture is a textbook case of the **Germanic Barbarian "Sacred Race" mentality**:
* **Your navy is several times stronger than mine?** *I don’t see it.*
* **You are threatening my national security?** *I don’t see it.*
* **All I can think about is: "Why is this Dalit right in my face?"** And he simply **cannot** figure out the answer, no matter how hard he tries.
Even though, to **us**, the answer is **obvious**.