Mei qian liao is a common Mandarin expression made of three parts, mei meaning not have, qian meaning money, and liao marking a completed change of state. As a standalone clip it circulates on soundboards and in short videos among Chinese speaking creators, often detached from any single film or show. Its popularity comes from how universally understood the situation is, so viewers get the joke instantly even in a very short edit, meme compilation or group chat exchange without needing extra context or explanation.