Meaning:
“刷” is short for “刷新,” which literally means to “refresh,” and “番” is short for “番剧,” which refers to “animation series.” Chinese netizens now use the character “刷” in a lot of contexts, and here it simply means “binge-watching.” If someone “刷微信,” he or she is “checking his or her WeChat.”
Example:
A: 周末你干什么了？
Zhōumò nǐ gàn shénme le?
What did you do during the weekend?
B: 天气不好，在家里刷番。你呢？
Tiānqì bù hǎo, zài jiā lǐ shuāfān。Nǐ ne?
The weather was not good, so I stayed at home and binge-watched animation series. How about you?
A: 我也没出门，刷美剧。
Wǒ yě méi chūmén, shuā měijù。
I didn’t go out either. I bing-watched American TV series.
(First editor: Debra Li)