男神 (nán shén)

ETYMOLOGY

Origin Story:

The term gained traction during the 2013 Korean drama My Love from the Star, when actor Kim Soo-hyun's character was dubbed the 'original Mr. Perfect' by Chinese netizens, causing Baidu search volume to spike 420% that month. With China's idol economy booming, its meaning evolved from 'unattainable god-like figure' to 'cultivable idol'.

Cultural Shifts:

Pre-2010: Mostly seen in fantasy novels describing mythical beings2014-2016: K-pop wave peak, EXO's Lu Han generated 5B+ views on Weibo with #MrPerfectPost-2020: Extended to virtual idols like characters from Mr. Love: Queen's ChoiceUsage Examples:

'Wang Hedi's new drama look is god-tier! No doubt the #1 Costume Drama Mr.Perfect''The new PhD candidate in our lab is basically Academic Mr.Perfect - three Nature publications!'