This study examines online hate speech through impoliteness theory, conceptualizing it as aggravated impoliteness where language is used to attack, provoke, and exclude social groups through face-threatening acts. Drawing on Bousfield’s distinction between on-record and off-record impoliteness and the notion of othering, the study analyzes 403 comments from the Chinese social media platform Rednote. Using mixed-method content analysis, 519 instances of impoliteness were identified, as individual comments often contained multiple strategies. Findings show that off-record impoliteness, particularly sarcasm, followed by insinuation, mock politeness, and strategic vagueness, was more frequent than on-record forms. These findings indicate that hate speech is an extreme form of negative relational work that undermines the preconditions for equitable intergroup relations by systematically attacking social identity face, thereby constructing and reinforcing symbolic boundaries. Overall, the study identifies key characteristics of online hate speech in the Chinese context and extends impoliteness analysis from individual interaction to group-based discourse.