This Chinese phrase looks like it's 2,000 years old.

But it isn't.

It's from 2012. And it's a common internet slang

"Deeply unsettling" (细思极恐 xì sī jí kǒng)

Break it down:

• "careful" (细)

• "thought" (思)

• "extreme" (极)

• "fear" (恐)

The full meaning:

the more carefully you think about it, the more terrifying it becomes.

It first appeared online in 2012, on Weibo. Then in 2013, a writer included it in a viral glossary of 49 hot Chinese internet phrases at the time.

It's been in everyday use ever since.

Used a lot in news contexts, describing a story that seems unremarkable, but gets more sinister the more you think about it.

Example:

"What makes it even more deeply unsettling is the perspective." 更细思极恐的是拍摄的视角。