#1 牛(niú)-Ox

Traditionally, 牛 is a symbol of hard work in Chinese culture. Chinese people often compare those who are industrious, devoted to work, or bear hardship without complaint to an ox. Below are two phrases that use 牛.

>  吹牛(chūi niú) -Brag

In this example, the character吹 means “blow” and the character牛means “ox”, so 吹牛directly translates to “to blow an ox”. Actually, 吹牛 means to talk big or brag.

Why it is 牛 instead of another animal? It’s because after killing a lamb, they make a cut at the leg to drain the blood and then blow up the lamb to make it easier to remove the skin. So, the words 吹羊 or 吹猪 carry that meaning. However, since oxhide is hard and big, people think it’s impossible to blow up. Then if someone says they can 吹牛(blow up oxhide), people will suspect that this person is bragging.

e.g.

你看，她又在吹牛了。
(Nǐ kàn, tā yòu zài chuī niú le.)
Look, she is bragging again.

他天天吹牛说自己去过100个国家。
(Tā tiāntiān chuī niú shuō zìjǐ qùɡuo yìbǎi ɡe ɡuójiā.)
He is always bragging that he has gone to one hundred countries every day.

>  牛逼(niú bī) –  Impressive

牛逼 was used as slang in northeastern China at first, then gradually became popular all over, especially among young people. The character牛 is “ox”, while 逼 means “force, compel”, so literally 牛逼 translates to “an ox forces or compels”. Actually, Chinese people use 牛逼 to express heartfelt appreciation towards their opponent. Sometimes people use it in a sarcastic sense.

E.g.

牛逼啊，这么难的问题，你都解决了。
(Niú bī’ā, zhème nánde wèntí, nǐ dōu jiějué le.)
Impressive! these questions are so hard, but you solved them.

牛逼牛逼，我比不上。
(Niú bī niú bī, wǒ bǐ bu shànɡ.)
So impressive, I cannot compete with you.

Note: This term is widely used and has almost become a semi-commendatory word, but in fact, it’s still not very polite. Some people might feel offended if you say 牛逼 to them. So please use it carefully.

#2 马(mǎ)- Horse

Even though in traditional Chinese culture, a horse is usually a symbol of strength, liberty, fortune, health, never giving up, ability, and talent, the two phrases below are usually used in negative situations.

>  马后炮(mǎ hòu pào)- Too Little, Too Late

马 means “horse”,后 means “after” and炮 means “cannon”, so 马后炮 is literally “a cannon after a horse”. Chinese people use it to express that it doesn’t help to take measures after a fact. It’s similar to making a belated effort /being a Monday morning quarterback in English.

E.g.

人已经死了，不要在这里放马后炮。
(Rén yǐjīnɡ sǐ le, bú yào zài zhèlǐ fànɡ mǎhòupào.)
It’s too little, too late, since the person was already dead.

马后炮，你昨天为什么不说？
(Mǎhòupào, nǐ zuótiān wèishénme bù shuō?)
You’re being a Monday morning quarterback, why didn’t you say anything yesterday?

>  拍马屁(pāi mǎpì)- Sucking up to someone

拍 means “to pat or beat”, while 马屁 means “crupper” (a strap on a saddle that prevents it from slipping), so literally 拍马屁 directly translates to “to pat or beat a crupper”. It is said that拍马屁 comes from a part of Mongolian culture. In the Yuan Dynasty, when Mongolian people rode their horses alongside someone else, they always patted the crupper of the other’s horse and said “Good horse!” to show respect and politeness. Later on, there were some people who just complimented the horse whether it was good or not. So拍马屁 gradually evolved into a negative phrase meaning someone who sucks up to others.

E.g.

他一天到晚只知道拍领导的马屁。
(Tā yì tiān dào wǎn zhǐ zhīdào pāi línɡdǎo de mǎpì.)
He only knows how to suck up to the leader all day long.

除了拍马屁，你还有什么真本事？
(Chúle pāi mǎpì, nǐ háiyǒu shénme zhēn běnshi?)
Besides sucking up to others, what other real skills do you have?

#3 鱼(yǘ)-fish

鱼, or fish, is often tied to Chinese culture and daily life. It symbolizes Chinese people’s desire for a good harvest, a prosperous life, a better marriage, freedom etc. Here we’ll go over three slang expressions that include 鱼.

>  锦鲤(jǐnlǐ)- everything related to good luck

锦鲤(cyprinus carpio) originally referred to koi fish. They have a long lifespan, and it’s said that 锦鲤 can bring good luck. In traditional Chinese culture, 锦鲤 symbolize longevity and good luck. Nowadays, 锦鲤 represents everything related to good luck.

How did 锦鲤 become so popular, especially on the internet? It’s actually because of an online campaign. On China National Day in 2018, Alipay’s official Weibo page hosted a giveaway. The lucky winner was drawn from those who reposted their post on Weibo. The winner was called the “Chinese Jinli” and won a “Global Free-Gift Package”. There were more than 3 million reposts. Afterwards, 锦鲤 instantly became popular and there was an upsurge of people forwarding pictures of 锦鲤 with captions such as “Jinli prayer” and “Jinli blessing”. Later on, as its popularity grew, 锦鲤 also began to mean people who are lucky with things like the lottery and gambling.

E.g.

转发锦鲤，希望我考试能过。
(Zhuǎnfā jǐnlǐ, xīwànɡ wǒ kǎoshì nénɡ ɡuò.)
I’ll forward Jinli and hope I can pass the exam.

转发这个锦鲤会有好运。
(Zhuǎnfā zhèɡe jǐnlǐ huì yǒu hǎoyùn.)
Forwarding this Jinli will bring good luck.

你是锦鲤吗？就你一个人中奖了！
(Nǐ shì jǐnlǐ ma? Jiù nǐ yíɡè rén zhònɡ jiǎnɡ le!)
Are you a Jinli? Only you will win the lottery!

> 摸鱼(mō yú)- mess around

摸 means “touch”, so 摸鱼 literally means “touch a fish”. 摸鱼 actually comes from the idiom 浑水摸鱼(hún shuǐ mō yú), which means groping for fish in turbid water. Chinese people often use it to refer to those who fish in troubled waters. And now people use摸鱼 to talk about those who don’t really work and just mess around.

E.g.

他上班就是在摸鱼。
(Tā shànɡ bān jiùshì zài mō yú.)
He’s messing around at work.

你想摸鱼就不要来公司，你可以回去。
(Nǐ xiǎnɡ mō yú jiù bú yào lái ɡōnɡsī, nǐ kěyǐ huíqù.)
Don’t come here if you want to mess around at the firm, just go back home.

> 炒鱿鱼(chǎo yóuyú)- get fired

炒 means “stir-fry” and 鱿鱼 is “squid”, so 炒鱿鱼 directly translates to “stir-fry a squid”. Chinese people use 炒鱿鱼 to refer to getting fired. 炒鱿鱼 is very close to 卷铺盖(juǎn pūɡɑi). A long time ago, workers would bring sleeping bags with them, so they had to roll up their sleeping bag when they were fired. Gradually 卷铺盖 came to mean getting fired. For 鱿鱼, people saw that when cooked, 鱿鱼 would roll up, which was similar to the shape of a rolled up sleeping bag. As a result, people started to associate 炒鱿鱼 and 卷铺盖. Later on, 炒鱿鱼 became the most popular way to talk about getting fired..

E.g.

他们今天被炒鱿鱼了。
(Tāmen jīntiān bèi chǎo yóuyú le.)
They were fired today.

你小心点儿，不要被炒鱿鱼了。 
(Nǐ xiǎoxīn diǎn’r, bú yào bèi chǎo yóuyú le.)
Be careful, don’t get fired.

#4 狗(ɡǒu)-dog

Unfortunately in Chinese slang, 狗 are often deprecated, even though now most people think of 狗 as our faithful friends. Here are two idioms that include the word 狗.

> 单身狗(dānshēn ɡǒu) – single

The word 单身 means “single”, so 单身狗 literally means “a single dog”. 单身狗 now is widely used  to emphasize that someone is  single. This phrasecomes from the memorable quote “He looks like a dog.” from the wedding ceremony scene in the film A Chinese Odyssey. It was originally only used for self-deprecation. But now, it’s also used to address others with a slightly derogatory tone.

E.g.

我是单身狗，不过情人节。
(Wǒ shì dānshēn ɡǒu, bú ɡuò Qínɡrén jié.)
I’m single and don’t do anything Valentine’s Day.

不要在我这个单身狗面前秀恩爱。
(Bú yào zài wǒ zhèɡe dānshēn ɡǒu miànqián xiù ēn’ài.)
I’m single, so don’t do any PDA in front of me.

> 狗血(ɡǒu xiě)- campy/cliché

血 means “blood”, so 狗血 actually means “dog’s blood”. It’s said that during the heyday of the film and television industry in Hong Kong in the 1990s, there were many of TV dramas about ghost hunting. The idea that dog blood can be used to drive away evil often came up in those shows. So, the term dog blood referred to outdated elements in film or TV. Nowadays, Chinese people use 狗血 to describe exaggerated or outdated elements in media or even real life. So 狗血 is really similar to campy/cliché in English.

E.g.

你这件事太狗血了。
(Nǐ zhè jiàn shì tài ɡǒuxiě le.)
That is so campy of you.

我昨天看了一部很狗血的电视剧。
(Wǒ zuótiān kànle yí bù hěn ɡǒuxiě de diànshìjù.)
I watched a very campy drama yesterday.

#5 鸡(jī)-chicken

鸡 symbolizes good luck, fighting and brightness in Chinese culture. Here are two expressions that include 鸡.

>  打鸡血(dǎ jīxiě)- so excited/ energetic

Literally 打鸡血 means “inject chicken blood”. It’s said that 打鸡血 originates from a medical technique from the 1980s where they would draw blood from a year-old rooster and inject it. It was once popular among the veteran cadres at that time. Supposedly, the person who was injected with chicken blood would become energetic, but it was actually unscientific, and that trend quickly faded. Now, Chinese people use 打鸡血 to talk about someone who is full of energy or mock someone’s sudden excitement towards  something.

E.g.

看了这本书后，他整个人就像打鸡血一样。
(Kànle zhè běn shū hòu，tā zhěnɡɡè rén jiù xiànɡ dǎ jīxiě yíyànɡ.)
After reading this book, he became so excited.

昨晚他打了一晚的游戏，今天还这么有精神，就像打了鸡血一样。
(Zuówǎn tā dale yì wǎn de yóuxì, jīntiān hái zhème yǒu jīnɡshen, jiù xiànɡ dale jīxiě yíyànɡ.)
He played games all night, but he is still energetic today, like he injected chicken blood.

>  铁公鸡(tiě ɡōnɡjī)- stingy person

铁公鸡 literally means “irony rooster”. Chinese people use 铁公鸡 to refer to a stingy person. 铁公鸡 comes from an ancient text which described a rich man who was so stingy that people all called him铁公鸡.

E.g.

我们都叫那个人“铁公鸡”。
(Wǒmen dōu jiào nàɡe rén “tiě ɡōnɡjī”.)
We all call that person “stingy man”.

他就是个铁公鸡，一分钱也不会给你。
(Tā jiù shì ɡè tiě ɡōnɡjī, yì fēn qián yě bú huì ɡěi nǐ.)
He is stingy, so he won’t give you a penny.

#6 猪(zhū)-pig

猪 is a symbol of being lazy, stupid, greedy, dirty and even salacious, which are almost all negative things in Chinese culture. Here are two slang expressions that use 猪.

>  咸猪手(xián zhūshǒu) – groper or wandering hands

The character 咸 means “salty”, while 猪手 is “pork knuckle”, so literally 咸猪手 means “salty pork knuckle”. As a matter of fact, 咸猪手 is used to refer to the action of molesting someone, such as grabbing their chest or touching their buttocks. It’s similar to groping or having wandering hands in English.

  E.g.

放开你的咸猪手。
(Fànɡkāi nǐ de xián zhūshǒu.)
Get your wandering hands off of me.

我昨天在地铁上碰到咸猪手了。
(Wǒ zuótiān zài dìtiě shanɡ pènɡdào xián zhūshǒu le.)
There was a groper on the subway yesterday.

>  扮猪吃老虎(bàn zhū chī lǎohǔ) – looking foolish in the short-term to win in the long-term

扮 means “to disguise” and 老虎 is “tiger”, so 扮猪吃老虎 means “disguising as a pig to eat a tiger”. It’s said that when hunters couldn’t catch a tiger, they would pretend to be a pig and draw the tiger out. When the tiger approached, then they would suddenly attack it. Chinese people use this expression to talk about people who like to look foolish or downplay themselves in the short-term to win in the long-term.

E.g.

有些人很会扮猪吃老虎。
(Yǒu xiē rén hěn huì bàn zhū chī lǎohǔ.)
Some people are good at looking foolish in the short-term to win in thelong-term.

他看起来很好，其实是在扮猪吃老虎，你小心点儿。
(Tā kàn qǐlái hěn hǎo, qíshí shì zài bàn zhū chī lǎohǔ, nǐ xiǎoxīn diǎnr.)
Be careful. He looks nice, but in fact he is looking foolish short-term to win in the long-term.

#7 Other Animals

>  放鸽子(fànɡ ɡēzi)- standing someone up

放鸽子 directly translates to “release a pigeon”. It later came to mean standing someone up. It’s said that 放鸽子 originated from the lottery in old Shanghai, commonly known as a “white pigeon ticket” with an extremely low chance of winning.

E.g.

他经常放我鸽子。
(Tā jīnɡchánɡ fànɡ wǒ ɡēzi.)
He often stands me up.

我被放鸽子了，她没有来。
(Wǒ bèi fànɡ ɡēzi le, tā méiyǒu lái.)
She didn’t come, and I was stood up.

>  乌鸦嘴(wūyā zuǐ)- jinx

乌鸦嘴 is literally “crow’s mouth”. 乌鸦 are black, omnivorous and addicted to rotten meat, so when it comes to it, Chinese people usually associate it with the idea of being unlucky and gloomy. So now, Chinese people often use乌鸦嘴to refer to a jinx.

E.g.

闭嘴，你这个乌鸦嘴！
(Bìzuǐ, nǐ zhèɡe wūyā zuǐ!)
Shut up, you jinx!

你是乌鸦嘴吗，每次不好的事都会被你说中。
(Nǐ shì wūyā zuǐ ma, měicì bù hǎo de shì dōu huì bèi nǐ shuōzhònɡ.)
Are you a jinx? Because bad things are always said right by you.

>  老狐狸(lǎo húli)- old fox

In Chinese people’s minds, 狐狸 are sharp, smart, and sly. 老狐狸 literally means old fox, and Chinese people use it to refer to people who are highly cunning, scheming and cruel.

E.g.

这个人是只老狐狸。
(Zhèɡe rén shì zhǐ lǎo húli.)
This man is an old fox.

他是我们公司里知名的老狐狸。
(Tā shì wǒmen ɡōnɡsī lǐ zhīmínɡ de lǎo húli.)
He is a famous old fox at our company.

Those are some of the most common and important animal-related Chinese slang expressions. We hope that this list can help you improve your fluency and your understanding of Chinese culture.

The post Everyday Animal Related Slangs and Buzzwords in Chinese appeared first on .

With the help of the National Language Resource Monitoring and Research Center, the Commercial Press, and CCTV News, China has released its “Top Words and Phrases of 2018” just last Thursday. Covering the period from November 20, 2017 to December 3, 2018, and contributed by netizens across the country, these are the words and phrases that reflect the hot issues that concerned Chinese speakers this past year.

Let’s take a look at these ten latest Chinese buzzwords.

1.   锦鲤 (jǐn lǐ)

锦鲤 refers to the Koi fish. Since 锦鲤 represents good luck in 风水(fengshui), Chinese people are very interested in them. Numerous koi fish related tweets are reposted to wish others better health and abundant wealth.

In China and Japan, people have a long history of keeping koi fish which is believed to bring good luck. The tradition is kept on the internet, as “转发锦鲤(reposting koi fish),” and it has become a trend on Chinese social medias.

e.g.

转发这个锦鲤，你2019会一切顺利！(Zhuǎnfā zhège jǐn lǐ, nǐ 2019 huì yīqiè shùnlì!)

  Repost this Koi Fish, everything will go smoothly with you in 2019!

转发这条微博，你就是下一个锦鲤！(Zhuǎnfā zhè tiáo wēi bó, nǐ jiùshì xià yīgè jǐn lǐ!)

  Repost this tweet, you are the next Koi Fish!

2.   佛系 (fó xì)

Literally, 佛(fó) means buddha and 系(xì) means system or style. 佛系 refers to a Buddha-like mindset.

For the Chinese youth, being 佛系 means adopting a peaceful state of mind and not caring how others think about them. The popular slogan goes like “都可以/都行(dōu kěyǐ/dōu xíng)” （Anything is okay）, “就这样吧(就这样吧)”（Let it be）, ”没关系 (méiguānxì)”, (It doesn`t matter), etc. Somehow, they are regarded as more negative emotions since it seems that some people just simply want to avoid the stresses from competitive surroundings by taking this mindset.

e.g.

A: 什么都行。我无所谓。(Shénme dōu xíng. Wǒ wúsuǒwèi.)

Anything is okay. I don`t mind.

B: 那么佛系？(Nàme fó xì?)

Such buddha-like?

A: 是的，我现在是佛系青年。(Shì de, wǒ xiànzài shì fó xì qīngnián.)

Yes, I`m a buddha-like youth now.

3.   Skr

Originally, this sound refers to the car tire friction. Skr was known widely by people because of Chinese young idol Kris Wu who used the term frequently on a show called中国有嘻哈(the Rap of China). It`s very popular among netizens who now  somewhat use it for mocking. But at first it was used to express admiration and praise.

Since it sounds similar to the Chinese sound [si ge] which can be transcribed as 是个，死个, etc., thus this sound is also used in many sound related sentences.

e.g.

冷skr人了 à 冷死个人了。(Lěng sǐ gè rénle.)

It`s sooo cold!

你真skr人才。 à 你真是个人才。(Nǐ zhēn shì gè réncái.)

You are such a talent.

4.   杠精 (gàng jīng)

Contrarian, hater

Here 杠 is from the Chinese word “抬杠(táigàng)” which means contradict or talk back. 杠精 describes someone who automatically takes the opposite point-of-view from the person to whom they`re speaking. These people just argue for the sake of arguing.

e.g.

A: 我发现我老板的管理方式真的很有问题。(Wǒ fāxiàn wǒ lǎobǎn de guǎnlǐ fāngshì zhēn de hěn yǒu wèntí.)

I find that my boss’s management style to be really problematic.

B: 那你怎么不去当老板？(Nà nǐ zěnme bù qù dāng lǎobǎn?)

Then why aren’t you the boss?

A: 我刚从云南回来。那里真的是太美了。(Wǒ gāng cóng yúnnán huílái. Nàlǐ zhēn de shì tàiměile)

I just came back from Yunnan. It’s so beautiful.

B: 美吗？那你显然是没去过九寨沟了。(Měi ma? Nà nǐ xiǎnrán shì méi qùguò jiǔzhàigōule.)

Beautiful? You’ve obviously never seen Jiuzhaigou!

5.   确认过眼神 (Quèrèn guò yǎnshén)

Literally 确认过眼神 means “Have confirmed the expression from the eyes.” The netizens use this phrase to express “we can see that from one`s eyes” or “to look somebody in the eyes.”

e.g.

确认过眼神，你就是对的人！(Quèrènguò yǎnshén, nǐ jiùshì duì de rén!)

Looking you in the eyes, you are the correct one!

确认过眼神，他是不理想的人。(Quèrènguò yǎnshén, tā shì bù lǐxiǎng de rén.)

I can see that from his eyes. He is not the ideal one.

6.   官宣 (guān xuān)

官宣 is short for 官方宣布which literally means “an official announcement”. The abbreviated version 官宣 is often used on the internet for netizens to announce something.

e.g.

官宣！我们结婚啦！(Guān xuān! Wǒmen jiéhūn la!)

Official announcement! We are getting married!

我的偶像官宣恋爱了。(Wǒ de ǒuxiàng guān xuān liàn’àile.)

My idol officially announced that she/he is in love.

7.   土味情话 (Tǔ wèi qínghuà)

土味情话refers to lines which sound very emotional, romantic, and even embarrassing in some way, though it`s often also used to break the ice. For netizens, it`s a kind of cold humor composed of love words. Here are some cheesy pick-up lines for you:

你不累吗？你已经在我的脑海中跑一天了。(Nǐ bù lèi ma? Nǐ yǐjīng zài wǒ de nǎohǎi zhōng pǎo yītiānle.)

Are you sure you’re not tired? You’ve been running through my mind all day.

我觉得我认识你。因为你看起来像我下一个女朋友。(Wǒ juédé wǒ rènshì nǐ. Yīnwèi nǐ kàn qǐlái xiàng wǒ xià yīgè nǚ péngyǒu.)

I think I know you. Because you look exactly like my next girlfriend.

8.   皮一下 (Pí yī xià)

Literally speaking, 皮 means “being naughty” in the Chinese language, which is often used in oral Chinese. 皮一下 indicates making fun of someone or playing a trick, and it sounds a little cute.

e.g.

皮一下很开心。(Pí yīxià hěn kāixīn.)

It`s fun to be naughty.

没事儿就想皮一下。(Méishìr jiù xiǎng pí yīxià.)

I want to play a trick when there is nothing to do.

9.   燃烧我的卡路里 (Ránshāo wǒ de kǎlùlǐ)

Literally, this sentence means “burn my calories.” It comes from a song called Calorie which is sung by the hot Chinese girl group 火箭少女101 (Rocket Girls 101). Its special melody, lyrics, and very contentious singers made the line of this song a hit all over the internet.

10.  C位 (C wèi)

C is an abbreviation of the word “center”, so “C位” means the center position. It generally refers to the center of the stage, the artist’s position in the middle, or the most crucial spot of a poster. Just like the one above, 燃烧我的卡路里, this phrase also originated from the girl group 火箭少女101  (Rocket Girls 101).

Apparently, this group really was a hit in 2018. The girls of this group are selected by internet users basing on the reality show 创造101 (Produce 101). There were about 100 trainees to be selected and trained. In the end, only nine girls were left on the stage as the final winners to compose this new girl idol group. The center position trainees would get the best position of the group.

e.g.

投票！让你的偶像C位出道！(Tóupiào! Ràng nǐ de ǒuxiàng C wèi chūdào!)

Vote！Make your idol enter entertainment with the center position!

照相的时候一般领导站C位。(Zhàoxiàng de shíhòu yībān lǐngdǎo zhàn C wèi.)

Normally, the leaders will take the center position when taking photos.

You can check here to learn 20 mire popular Chinese slang words.

The post You’ll never learn this from textbooks: The Latest Chinese Buzzwords Collection appeared first on .

Chinese slang usually can’t be learned from formal courses, but you’ll hear it all around you half the time when conversing with native speakers. It’s a crucial element of daily communication, without which you may struggle to understand what those native speakers are talking about. In this article, we will provide you some of the most common slang words you may come across during daily conversations. Below are 20 of the most popular Chinese slang words.

1. 抱大腿 (Bào dàtuǐ)

Colloquially, it means to curry favor or get someone’s influence or power.

e.g.

你这么厉害，我要抱大腿。（Nǐ zhème lìhɑi, wǒ yào bào dàtuǐ.）

You are so awesome, and I want to curry favor from you.

2. 颜值(Yánzhí)

e.g.

你们老师的颜值都很高嘛！(Nǐmen lǎoshī de yánzhí dōu hěn ɡāo mɑ.)

Your teachers’ level of appearance is high.

3. 三观(Sān ɡuān)

e.g.

我们三观不合，所以分手了。(Wǒmen sānɡuān bù hé, suǒyǐ fēnshǒu le.)

We broke up because we have different fundamental views.

这部电视剧简直是毁三观。(Zhèbù diànshìjù jiǎnzhíshìhuǐ sānɡuān.)

This drama is totally destroying our fundamental views.

我不想和三观不正的人交朋友。(Wǒ bù xiǎnɡ hé sānɡuān bú zhènɡ de rén jiāo pénɡyou.)

I don’t want to make friends with people who have incorrect fundamental views.

4. 为……打call (Wèi…dǎ call)

Colloquially, it means “to bolster someone” or “to support/boost someone.”

e.g.

抖森太帅了，为抖森打call。(Dǒu sēn tài shuài le，wèi tā dǎ call.)

Tom Hiddleston is so handsome, he can boost you up.

(抖森is a Chinese nickname for Tom Hiddleston.)

5. 小鲜肉/老腊肉 (Xiǎo xiānròu/Lǎo làròu.)

→Literally, it refers to “small fresh meat”.

Colloquially, it means a young and handsome boy.

e.g.

昨天我看到一个小鲜肉，好帅！

(Zuótiān wǒ kàndào yíɡe xiǎo xiānròu, hǎo shuài！)

Yesterday, I saw a young handsome boy, and he is so gorgeous!

老腊肉 (Lǎo làròu)

→Opposite to “小鲜肉”, literally refers to “tough cured meat”.

Colloquially, it means old, handsome, and experienced man.

e.g.

我就喜欢老腊肉,成熟有魅力。

(Wǒ jiù xǐhuɑn lǎo làròu, chénɡshú yǒu mèilì.)

I really like old, handsome, and experienced men because they are mature and charming.

6. 心灵鸡汤/毒鸡汤 (Xīnlínɡ jītānɡ/Dú jītānɡ)

心灵鸡汤 (Xīnlínɡ jītānɡ)

→Literally, it refers to good chicken soup.

Colloquially, it means words, sentences, or articles which are philosophical but with useless content”.

e.g.

行了，别给我灌心灵鸡汤了，我没事。

(Xínɡle, bié ɡěi wǒ ɡuàn xīnlínɡ jītānɡ le, wǒ méi shì.)

Ok, don’t give me philosophical but useless words. I’m fine.

毒鸡汤 (Dú jītānɡ)

→Opposite to “心灵鸡汤”, literally refers to “poisonous chicken soup”.

Colloquially, it means that words, sentences or articles are straightforward and sound negative, but they are close to most real-life situations.

This expression came about because of the excessive expansion of “心灵鸡汤”, a case in which people are already fed up with them, and so they go the other way around to create “毒鸡汤” to dismiss the philosophical reality and yet acquire inspiration as well.

e.g.

最近看到个“毒鸡汤”：等忙完了这阵子，就可以忙下一阵了。

(Zuìjìn kàn dào ɡe “dú jītānɡ”：děnɡ mánɡ wán le zhè zhènzi, jiù kěyǐ máng xià yīzhènle

.)

Recently I have read a negative but straightforward word: after this stirring time period, we can move forward to another pragmatic time period.

7. 作死/不作不会死 (Zuō sǐ/Bùzuō bú huì sǐ)

作死(Zuō sǐ)

→Literally, it refers “to seek for death”.

Colloquially, it means to seek trouble out.

e.g.

别说了，你这是在作死。(Bié shuō le, nǐzhè shìzài zuō sǐ.)

Stop saying that, you are looking for trouble.

不作不会死(Bùzuō bú huì sǐ)

→In Chinglish, this means “No zuo, no die”. Specifically, it means that you will not get into trouble if you do not seek trouble.

e.g.

不作不会死，你别给自己找麻烦了。

(Bù zuō bú huìsǐ, nǐbié ɡěi zìjǐ zhǎo máfɑn le.)

No zuo no die, don’t look for trouble.

8. 吐槽 (Tùcáo)

→This means “to make complaints”, or to make comments with a sarcastic tone, to mock.

e.g.

那部电视剧我都不想吐槽了，槽点太多了。

(Nàbù diànshìjù wǒ dōu bù xiǎnɡ tù cáo le, cáodiǎn tài duō le.)

I don’t really want to make complaints about that drama, because there are too many points needing to be addressed.

9. 女汉子 (Nǚ hànzi)

→it means “tough girl”, or a woman having characteristics or behavior considered typical of a boy.

e.g.

没看出来，你还是个女汉子，这么重的桌子都搬得动。

(Méi kàn chūlái, nǐ háishì ɡe nǚ hànzi, zhème zhònɡde zhuōzi dōu bān de dònɡ.)

I did not see that you are a tough girl who could move such heavy desk.

10. 你行你上 (Nǐ xíng nǐ shàng)

→Chinglish means “you can you up”.

It means that “if you’re so good, you do it!” Or “put up or shut up!”

e.g.

你行你上啊，说这么多干嘛。

(Nǐxínɡ nǐ shànɡ ā, shuō zhème duō ɡàn má.）

Put up or shut up.

11. 键盘侠 (Jiànpánxiá)

→it means “clicktivist”.

e.g.

别理那些键盘侠的话，没意思。

(Bié lǐnà xiē jiànpánxiá de huà, méi yìsi.)

Leave those words to the clicktivists, because they make no sense.

12. 正能量/负能量 (Zhènɡ nénɡliànɡ/Fù nénɡliànɡ)

正能量(Zhènɡ nénɡliànɡ)

→It refers to someone or something dispersing positive influence or emotion.

e.g.

他是个充满了正能量的人。

(Tā shìge chōngmǎn le zhèng néngliàng de rén.)

He is a positive man.

负能量(Fù nénɡliànɡ)

→It refers to someone or something dispersing negative influence or emotion.

e.g.

我不想看这部电影了，里面充满了负能量。

(Wǒ bù xiǎng kàn zhè bù diànyǐng le, lǐmiàn chōngmǎn le fù néngliàng.)

I don’t want to watch this movie anymore, because it is filled with negative emotion.

13. 男神/女神 (Nánshén/Nǚshén)

→which means “god/goddess”, or “Dream guy/muse”.

e.g.

小李子是我的男神，大魔王是我的女神。

(Xiǎo lǐzi shìwǒ de nánshén, dà mówánɡ shì wǒde nǚshén.)

Leonardo DiCaprio is my dream guy, while Cate Blanchett is my muse.

(小李子 is the Chinese nickname for Leonardo DiCaprio;大魔王 is the Chinese nickname for Cate Blanchett.)

14. 也是醉了(Yě shì zuì le)

→Literally speaking, it refers to “being drunk”

Colloquially, it means someone loses the will to scold or complain of somebody or something.

e.g.

我都告诉他怎么做了，居然还写错了，我也是醉了。

(Wǒ dōu ɡàosu tā zěnme zuò le, jūrán hái xiě cuò le, wǒ yě shì zuì le.)

I have told him how to do it, but he still writes it wrong, which leaves me no more will to scold him.

15. 心塞(Xīnsāi)

→Literally speaking, it is a shortened form for the medical condition, “myocardial infarction”.

Colloquially, it means to “feel suffocated or stifled.”

e.g.

听了他的话，我真的觉得很心塞。

(Tīnɡle tā de huà, wǒ zhēn de juéde hěn xīnsāi.)

After hearing his words, I really feel suffocated.

16. 吃土 (Chītǔ)

→Literally, it means to “to eat dust”.

Colloquially, it means “to be very poor”.

e.g.

我不去逛街了，我最近都要吃土了。

(Wǒ bú qù ɡuànɡjiē le, wǒ zuìjìn dōu yào chītǔ le.)

I don’t want to go shopping because I have been very poor recently.

17. 戏精 (Xìjīng)

→Colloquially, it refers to a “drama queen” or an “attention whore”.

e.g.

身边有一群戏精朋友真的是让人崩溃。

(Shēnbiān yǒu yìqún xìjīnɡ pénɡyou zhēn de shì huì rànɡ rén bēnɡkuì.)

Having a group of attention whores around me is driving me crazy.

18. 撕 (Sī)

→Literally, it means to “to tear”.

Colloquially, it means “to have a beef or be irritated with somebody”.

e.g.

那两位明星又开撕了。

(Nà liǎnɡ wèi mínɡxīnɡ yòu kāi sīle.)

Those two stars are starting to have a beef with each other again.

19. 补刀 (Bǔ dāo)

→Literally, it means to “amend the knife”.

Colloquially, it means that when someone is in an embarrassing situation or has already been hurt by someone else through language, one makes him feel more embarrassed or hurt through language again. This was derived from the “DOTA” game term “Last hit”.

e.g.

你能不能正经点儿，我现在心情不好，你还补刀。

(Nǐnénɡ bu nénɡ zhènɡjǐnɡ diǎn’r, wǒ xiànzài xīnqínɡ bù hǎo, nǐ hái bǔdāo.)

Are you serious? I’m in a bad mood right now, and you’re still giving me another shock?

20. 套路 (Tàolù)

→Originally, it refers to “a series of skills and tricks in martial arts”.

Colloquially, it means “a strategy”, “trickery” or something that is “all planned out.”

e.g.

那些广告都是套路，你别信。

(Nà xiē ɡuǎnɡɡào dōu shì tàolù, nǐbié xìn.)

Those ads are all planned out, don’t believe them.

人生要多点儿真诚，少点儿套路。

(Rénshēnɡ yào duō diǎnr zhēnchénɡ, shǎo diǎnr tàolù.)

Life needs more sincerity and less trickery.

These are just 20 of the more popular Chinese slang words. Memorize and practice using them, and your language skills will surely sound more natural. Using slang is a great way to not only express yourself more clearly, it is also a great way to understand the Chinese culture. The fact that there are slang words to express ideas means that they are important to those who are speaking it.

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With all the dramatic changes in the country over the last twenty years, people are still moving, adapting, and trying to find their places in society.  As this is happening, they are are coming up with terms to describe these new types of people that have cropped up.

高富帅 (gāo fù shuài) and 白富美 (bái fù měi) are both words that can describe millions all over China who are eagerly hoping to marry. The former is used to describe affluent males that are not only rich, but who are also tall and handsome; it literally translates as “tall-rich-handsome”. The second word is the female equivalent, and is literally “white-rich-beautiful”. There is a unisex antonym for these two words  used derogatorily: 矮穷矬 (ǎi qióng cuó / “poor-short-ugly”).

Other words have sprung up to describe the nouveau-riche.土豪 (tǔ háo) literally translates as ‘local tyrant’, but today, it has come to signify the new generation of get-rich-quick Chinese who have wads of cash but lack in the style and taste department. Though the word is generally used to describe people who genuinely are newly rich, the word is also commonly used, and many other similar words like this, tongue-in-cheek to poke fun at friends.

A word that is slightly more pejorative than the aforementioned土豪 (tǔ háo) is 富二代 (fù èr dài). This is prescribed to the rich, second generation children whose parents have prospered from Deng Xiao Ping’s opening up of policies in the 1980’s. The word usually connotes young people who lavishly spend their parents` money on fast cars, partying, and luxury, and who have little concern for issues that concern regular people.

Two other words that have sprung up to describe newcomers in society are 女汉子 (nǚ hàn zi) and 非主流 (fēi zhǔ liú).

女汉子, literally ‘woman man’, is used to describe a somewhat “manly woman”, quite similar to the English word ‘tomboy’. It means a woman who is capable of doing the same things a man can do, who maybe even carries the same demeanor as a man, and is very strong in character.

非主流 can mean  a person who is anti-mainstream, underground, or alternative, but increasingly it has come to be slightly dismissive in that it describes the ‘emo’ generation. In addition to gothic or punk styles, 非主流 can also be identified by their Korean and Japanese influences. It’s common to see a group of a young guys walking the streets with all kinds of colorful, manga-style hairdos. Someone who considers himself or herself cool may shudder to think that others would call them 非主流.

There are a variety of other expressions that have become popular in use, such as 给力 (gěi lì/give power), which is an adjective to describe anything impressive, awesome or powerful.

Hold 不住’  (Hold bú zhù) is a phrase derived from a Taiwanese television show that later on became popular online. Combining English and Chinese, it denotes a scenario where you can’t control yourself anymore, maintain composure, stay calm, or hold steady. It can be used in many different scenarios. For example, if in a classroom something extremely funny or embarrassing happened and one classmate couldn’t control himself/herself from laughing he/she could say “我hold不住啦!”, but another classmate encouraging him/her to keep calm could say “Hold住” – this is hold不住’s opposite.

Some of the new words can seem so versatile in use that it has become quite confusing for foreigners to know when, exactly, they can be used. 坑爹 (kēng diē) is certainly one of these words. Typically meaning the intention to cheat or deceive, it can also be generally used to describe something that sucks, that is ironic, or that has an undesirable effect. For example, upon seeing a corrupt politician exposed, a netizen might comment “太坑爹了” (tài kēng diē le), which criticizes the politician for the way he has swindled the people by taking advantage of his power.

With society changing rapidly, new words for arising phenomena are constantly being created and spread on the internet, serving the purpose of describing the different situations and circumstances that have come about.

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People mountain people sea. It means there are a lot of people in some place, very crowded. usually describe a big event, a scene.

e.g    In China, train station is always people mountain people sea.

       在中国，火车站总是人山人海。

       (zài zhōngguó ，huǒchēzhàn zǒngshì rénshānrénhǎi 。)

#17 伤不起

Literally 伤不起 is translated as ” can`t afford the hurt”. It`s used to exaggerate that something or some condition is too terrible or unsatisfactory and can hardly be accepted.

e.g  I fail the exam! Poor me!
       我考试不及格！伤不起啊！

       (wǒ kǎoshì bùjígé ！shāngbùqǐ a ！)

#18 帅呆了

The structure ” x 呆了“ means ” x extremely”. Here “帅呆了” is very handsome.

e.g  Brad Pitt is very handsome.
       Brad Pitt 帅呆了。

       (Brad Pitt shuàidāile。）

#19 土豪

To say some one is 土豪 is to imply they come from a poor peasant/pezent/ background ,and have made it rich quick- but don`t have the manners, or sophistication to go along with it. Which loosely translated means “nouveau riche”.

e.g    Tuhao， let`s make a friend!

       土豪，我们做朋友吧！

       （ tǔháo ，wǒmen zuòpéngyou ba ！）

#20 抬举

抬举 is “to praise or favor”. If someone praises you for something, this phrase says “Thank you for praising” with real Chinese style.

e.g   You flatter me!

         你太抬举我了！

       （ nǐ tài táijǔ wǒ le ！）

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雷means “thunder”. Now we also use it to express something is “unacceptable, incredible, or too exaggerate, we are shocked by it”.

e.g  Sometimes we are shocked by Lady Gaga.
       有时候Lady Gaga 太雷了。

       (yǒushíhou Lady Gaga tài léi le 。)

#12 你行你上

“You can you up” is a Chinglish from 你行你上。 It means “if you can do it then you should go up and do it.” It used against people who criticize others` work, especially when the criticizer is not that much better.

e.g    A： 你又输了。 You lost again. (nǐ yòu shū le。)
         B： 你行你上。 You can you up. (nǐ xíng nǐ shàng。)

#13 牛逼

It`s possibly influenced by the expression 吹牛皮 (chuī niú pí) which means “to brag”. It means “awesome”.

e.g  The novels he writes are fxxking awesome.
       他写的小说太牛逼了。

       (tāxiěde xiǎoshuō tài niúbī le 。)

#14 傻逼

傻 means “silly”. 傻逼 means “a person that makes everything worse” or “a fool”.

e.g    Stop gabbing. I`m not a fool.

           别唠叨了，我不是傻逼。

         (bié láodao le ，wǒ búshì shǎbī 。)

#15 装逼

Zhuangbility is a Chinese English. It means “to boast” or somewhat in English.

e.g   I know you! Don`t play zhuangbility any more.

       我认识你！ 别再装逼了。

       (wǒ rènshi nǐ ！ bié zài zhuāngbī le 。)

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基友 is a trending slang term that refers to gay men or relationships. 基is from the “g” from “gay”. Most recently, it has also been used to refer jokingly to close (straight) male friends, as well as video game partners.
e.g Those two always play sports and games together. A real bromance!
他们俩总是在一起打球，游戏。真是好基友！

(tāmenliǎ zǒngshì zàiyīqǐ dǎqiú ，yóuxì 。zhēnshì hǎojīyǒu！)

#7 交朋友

交朋友 means ” to make friends”. If you want to close relationship with each other, you can try to mention this phrase.

e.g  Let`s make friends!
  我们交个朋友吧！

(wǒmen jiāo gè péngyou ba ！)

#8 好久不见

Long time no see. Have not seen for a long time. Typical Chinese greeting.

e.g   Long time no see. How have you been?
       好久不见，你过得好吗？

       (hǎojiǔbújiàn ，nǐ guò dé hǎo ma ？)

#9 纠结

纠结 is one of the most popular oral Chinese sayings recently. Originally, it means many plants have wound together and are impossible to separate. So now it means we do not know how to solve the problem and can`t make a decision.

e.g  Tell him don`t hesitate any more!
       告诉他别纠结了！

       (gàosù tā bié jiūjié le！)

#10 （不）靠谱

(不）靠谱 means (un)reliable/(un)trustworthy. It`s a very humorous saying.

e.g     Dear, you are too reliable!

         亲爱的，你太靠谱了！

         (qīnàide，nǐ tài kàopǔ le ！)

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e.g    He can speak 4 languages, so gelivable!

       他会说四种语言，太给力了！

 #2 淡定

淡定 means “poised, calm”. If someone is too rushed or worried about something, we use this to comfort them.

e.g    Don`t worry!

别担心！淡定，淡定。

#3 放心

放心 means “to set one`s mind at ease”. If someone is worrying about something, you can say “你放心吧“ to comfort someone.

e.g   Don`t worry. No problem!
       你放一百个心吧，没问题！

#4 关系

About 10 years ago, foreigners took delight in talking about “guanxi” (relationship). It describes the basic dynamic in personalized networks of influence, and is a central idea in Chinese society. In Western media, the pinyin of this Chinese word is becoming more widely used, instead of the two common translations—”connections” and “relationships”—as neither of those terms sufficiently reflects the wide cultural implications that “guanxi” describes.

e.g   He has guanxi in this company.

他在这个公司有关系。

#5 行家

行家 means ” a person who has a professional knowledge in one field”. It`s a flattering word.

e.g   It seems that you are a true professional.
  一看您就是行家。

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