Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of fashion and buzzwords in scientific coverage, the task of which is to identify the concept of "fashion" in various scientific fields and the characteristics of the buzzword in the discourses of the Russian and Chinese languages. The article describes the manifestation of the fashion category in philosophical discourse. A comprehensive analysis of the philosophers' points of view on fashion allows us to identify the load of meanings of the concept of "fashion" in clothing, its connection with the concepts of "prestige" and "taste" and characters (total, changeable). Separating the semiotics and semiology of fashion, R. Barth proves the inseparability of fashion and language. Semantic and cognitive analysis of the concept of a fashionable word in two languages shows common characteristics: relevance, mass character, prestige, transience, news, expressiveness. The study allows us to conclude that the concept of "language fashion" and "fashion word" is closely related to the category of fashion in culture and in civilization. In the philosophical discourse, the most important characteristics of the fashion category were highlighted: its inseparable connection with the category of taste, the social nature of fashion, its inclusiveness and changeability. In semiotics, fashion was defined as a sign system put at the service of the economy and social stratification of society. Language fashion is a powerful means of manipulating and influencing human consciousness. The buzzword is a significant dynamic linguistic phenomenon, it simultaneously creates a problem of lexicography and performs powerful functions. The author considers the concept of "fashionable word" in the everyday life of Russian linguistics in comparison with Chinese, which determines the novelty of the study.