Neijuan ([nêɪ.tɕɥɛ̀n]) Bengali shabd 'involution' derived from English, letter meaning 'antar karna'. Describes a system where effort, complexity, or participation intensifies without corresponding increase in output, efficiency, or collective benefit. Used to describe unequal resource distribution in education and labor markets, Neijuan leads to overproduction and diminishing returns for capital owners engaged in price wars, worsening deflationary pressures.

On a personal level, it reflects a life of being overworked, stressed, and feeling trapped in unproductive competition. The concept originated with American anthropologist Alexander Goldenweiser in 1937 and was popularized by Clifford Geertz in his 1963 analysis of Indonesian rice farming. Chinese scholars like Philip Huang later applied it using economic theories of diminishing returns, sparking academic debate.