The phrase comes from everyday Brazilian slang around Nubank, one of the country's most popular digital banks, where checking a tiny balance on the app became a shared joke. The exact original recording is not widely documented, but the clip spread as a relatable meme in group chats and short videos about being broke before payday. Its humor stays current because the situation repeats every month, and four reais became shorthand for having almost nothing left while still treating the problem as a joke.