These days, anyone who uses the Internet on their phone understands the power of different kinds of pictures. They are emojis (表情符号) which have swept the world since the late 1990s. One could say that, in the Internet age, emojis are the world's most widely understood language.

    However, on Chinese social media, just understanding how to use emojis is not enough. Now young Chinese enjoy an even more complex (复杂的) form of emoji called biaoqingbao, or sticker sets. Much like emojis, sticker sets are groups of pictures used to express feelings.

    Sticker sets are popular among the young people, especially those born in the 1990s. During a recent conversation with a friend of mine—a 90s kid—on WeChat. I wrote that l disagreed with something he had said. In response, he sent back a group of stickers. The first was a screenshot (截图) taken from the Chinese political drama In the Name of the People, in which an actor, Xu Yajun, purses his lips in a look of doubt. Next came a popular Internet picture of a girl pulling a face of exaggerated (夸张的) anger. Then quickly by an image of an orange cat that has funny drawn-on frown. At last, my phone lit up with the baby face of Huang Zitao. None of these stickers expressed teal anger. Instead, they meant: "Why don't you agree with me?"

    Using sticker sets skillfully can express the speaker's mind correctly without misunderstanding.

    The sticker sets can also end the conversation when its user is ready to go to bed. Between close friends or couples, only saying "Goodnight" might seem common. Instead, imagine a man with a sweet heart beside, his face red with words: "I'm going to bed." Not only is this sticker able to end the conversation, but it also refers to a closer relationship between speakers.

    Sticker sets are the new language of China's youth. They now need more ways to express themselves. We must allow them to speak more freely and independently. For the moment, at least, sticker sets are playing this important role.