Memes might stay the same as they transfer from one source to another, but can sometimes 'evolve', modified or expanded by each new recipient. They can also fade as fast as they spread, ascending in popularity and then disappearing within a matter of days.

　　在传播过程中，迷因的内容可能保持原样，也有可能会被后来的接收者加以改造或延伸。它们在网络上消逝的速度可能跟爆红的速度一样快，几天之内就有可能不见踪迹了。

　　The term Meme was coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 popular science bestseller, The Selfish Gene. The term may refer to the content that spreads from user to user, the idea behind the content, or the phenomenon of its spread.

　　“迷因”这个词最早是由英国进化生物学家理查德-道金斯在他1976年的大众科学畅销书《自私的基因》中使用的。这个词既可以指在用户间传播的内容，也可以指隐藏在内容背后的理念或者其转播的这种现象。