红温

From hardware to human emotion

红温 literally means "red temperature" — it's borrowed from the concept of red heat in metallurgy, where metal glows red when it reaches a certain temperature. Chinese netizens applied the metaphor to the human body: when your face gets hot and red from anger, you've reached 红温.

The word is closely related to the gaming term 温骤升 (temperature spike), but 红温 is shorter, punchier, and more visual.

The 红温 spectrum

红温 has identifiable stages:

How it spread

红温 was originally a League of Legends term, used by streamers and their audiences to describe the moment a player starts making bad decisions because they're angry. From there it spread to:

• General gaming — any competitive game where frustration builds.
• Livestreaming — the audience's favorite moment: when the streamer 红温s.
• Everyday life — traffic jams, customer service calls, arguments with parents.

Related words

• 破防 — when your emotional composure cracks, usually from sadness or overwhelm. 红温 is the angry version.
• 心态崩了 (xīn tài bēng le) — "mentality collapsed": the final stage after 红温 passes.
• 上头 (shàng tóu) — "head up": getting excited or obsessed, a milder version.

How to use it

If you're watching a friend play a game and they start breathing heavily: "你红温了是吧" (you're going red-hot, aren't you?). If they're in a meeting getting visibly frustrated: "开完会要红温了" (going to be red-hot after this meeting). The word is teasing but affectionate — it names the thing everyone can see but no one says.