dajiangyou (打醬油)
To pass by without comment.
Meaning
Dajiangyou means presenting yourself as an indifferent passerby with no stake in a public topic. The tone is evasive and joking, not formal neutrality. It is used by netizens, commenters and minor participants.
Origin
The phrase comes from mainland China internet slang. Its literal sense is to go to the shop to buy soy sauce. The supplied source also records an older sense of a child old enough to run errands. The exact first viral post and month are not documented in the supplied material, so the precise origin remains uncertain.
How it's used
People use it to decline comment on a controversy or to describe a cameo role. It works as a verb phrase, often as I am just here to buy soy sauce. It does not inflect in English use.
Example
I know nothing about their dispute, I am just here to buy soy sauce.
Variants & related
The simplified spelling is 打酱油. Extended use covers film extras and officials described as inactive. Related onlooker phrases include eating melon and just passing by.
Common misunderstandings
Outsiders read it literally as grocery shopping. It is not a polite formal no comment and can sound irresponsible for officials. It signals ironic detachment, not support or opposition.