空气币
释义 DEFINITION
空气币是中文互联网对虚假加密货币的戏称，包含三层含义：
- 字面意义：像空气般看不见摸不着的虚拟货币
- 技术特征：缺乏区块链底层技术支持，仅有概念白皮书
- 市场行为：项目方通过炒作拉高币价后抛售跑路的骗局
当前90%以上的使用场景指第三种情况，特指2017-2021年间在中国大量出现的传销型数字货币。
词源故事 ETYMOLOGY
空气币的兴起与中国独特的加密货币生态密切相关。2017年9月央行叫停ICO后，正经区块链项目转入地下，而传销盘却借助微信生态疯狂生长。
演化轨迹：
- 萌芽期（2016）：以「小蚁股」为代表，此时空气币多指技术不成熟的项目
- 爆发期（2017-2018）：出现「英雄链」「艺术链」等经典案例，项目方租用境外服务器，白皮书用谷歌翻译生成，通过线上路演发展金字塔型投资者结构
- 变异期（2019至今）：与资金盘结合产生「质押挖矿」「链游」等新形态，近期典型案例是2022年崩盘的「鱿鱼币」中国仿盘
经典话术：
「我们这个币要打造区块链界的阿里巴巴」
「早期参与者享受静态收益+动态收益」
「国家暗中支持的数字货币实验」
识别特征：
创始人使用化名（如「中本聪二世」）
官网注册有效期仅1年
所谓「战略合作机构」查无实据
例句：
「又有个大学同学在推XX币，典型的空气币套路，先画个元宇宙大饼，然后锁仓挖矿，最后肯定卷款跑路。」
DEFINITION
Air Coin (Kongqibi) is China's crypto culture phenomenon describing:
- Coins with zero intrinsic value like thin air
- Fraudulent tokens lacking real blockchain technology (often just a PDF whitepaper)
- Pump-and-dump schemes where creators disappear after cashing out
Similar to 'shitcoin' but emphasizes the ephemeral nature - these coins vanish like air once the hype dies. The term gained traction during China's 2017 crypto boom that birthed thousands of scam projects.
ETYMOLOGY
The Air Coin epidemic reveals China's unique crypto culture dynamics. When Beijing banned ICOs in 2017, legitimate projects went underground while scams flourished on WeChat.
Evolution phases:
- Proto-era (2016): Early coins like NEO were called "air" due to technical immaturity
- Golden Age (2017-2018): Scams like HeroChain abused WeChat groups, using Google-translated whitepapers and multi-level marketing
- Hybrid Era (2019-present): New variants like "Squid Game token" clones combine DeFi staking and play-to-earn mechanics
Hallmark tactics:
"We're building the Alibaba of blockchain"
"Early investors get passive + active rewards"
"This is China's secret digital yuan experiment"
Red flags:
Founders using aliases like "Satoshi Nakamoto II"
Websites registered for just 1 year
Fake partnerships with non-existent institutions
Example:
"My college buddy keeps shilling DogeMoonCoin - classic air coin playbook: metaverse hype → locked staking → eventual rug pull."