Chinese slang, all of it, in one table
Every slang word on this site with four things a dictionary will not tell you: what it literally says, what it actually means, who you can safely say it to, and whether people still use it. Open a category below, or open the lot. Tap any word for examples and audio.
Deck download with Pro185 words7 categorieslast checked
How to read the last two columns
- Safe with anyone
- Fine at work, fine with your partner's parents.
- Friends and coworkers
- Normal among people your own age. Skip it with elders, clients and officials.
- Close friends only
- Carries a swear or an insult. Only with people who would swear back.
- Hot right now
- In heavy use at the moment.
- Settled in
- Past the fad stage, part of everyday speech.
- On the way out
- Still understood, but it dates you a little.
Words people mix up
Work and hustle29 words
| Word | Literally says | Actually means | Who to, and still used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 内卷nèijuǎn | to roll inward | everyone competing harder and harder while nobody actually gets ahead | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2020 |
| 躺平tǎngpíng | to lie flat | to quit the rat race and do the bare minimum on purpose | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2021 |
| 摆烂bǎilàn | to put the rot on display | to stop trying and let everything fall apart on purpose | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2022 |
| 摸鱼mōyú | to touch fish | to slack off at work while looking busy | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2019 |
| 打工人dǎgōngrén | the working person | us wage earners, said with dark humor about having no choice | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2020 |
| 上岸shàng'àn | to come ashore | to finally pass the exam or land the stable job you fought for | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2021 |
| 班味bānwèi | work shift smell | the drained, gray aura that a job puts on you | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2024 |
| 草台班子cǎotái bānzi | a grass stage troupe | a sloppy amateur crew pretending to be professionals | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2024 |
| 社畜shèchù | corporate livestock | an office worker who feels owned and milked by the company, said with tired self mockery | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 996jiǔ jiǔ liù | nine nine six | working 9am to 9pm, six days a week, the brutal schedule tied to Chinese tech companies | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2019 |
| 卷王juǎnwáng | the roll king | the person whose extreme grinding forces everyone around them to compete harder | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 划水huáshuǐ | to paddle water | coasting through work while looking busy, doing the bare minimum | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 打酱油dǎ jiàngyóu | to buy soy sauce | just passing by, not involved, none of my business | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2008 |
| 职场PUAzhíchǎng PUA | workplace pickup artistry | a boss using manipulation, belittling and guilt to control employees | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 整顿职场zhěngdùn zhíchǎng | to rectify the workplace | young workers openly refusing unfair office norms like unpaid overtime | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 精神离职jīngshén lízhí | mental resignation | quitting in your head while keeping the job, doing the minimum and caring about nothing | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 赋能fùnéng | to grant power | corporate speak for empower or enable, now mocked as a word that says nothing | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 抓手zhuāshǒu | a handle to grab | corporate speak for the key lever of a project, mocked as jargon | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 闭环bìhuán | a closed loop | corporate speak for wrapping a process end to end, mocked when everything is called a loop | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 大小周dà xiǎo zhōu | big week small week | alternating six day and five day work weeks, a softer cousin of 996 | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 牛马niúmǎ | ox and horse | a self mocking name for an overworked employee treated like a beast of burden | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2025 |
| 脆皮打工人cuìpí dǎgōngrén | crispy skinned worker | a young worker whose body seems to break at the slightest touch, joking about bad health | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2023 |
| 全职儿女quánzhí érnǚ | full time son or daughter | a young adult paid by their parents to live at home and help out instead of taking a job | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2023 |
| 孔乙己文学Kǒng Yǐjǐ wénxué | Kong Yiji literature, after the Lu Xun character too proud to drop his scholar's gown | graduates who feel their degree makes humble work beneath them, and the debate around that pride | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2023 |
| 反向背调fǎnxiàng bèidiào | reverse background check | a job candidate secretly investigating the company before accepting an offer | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2023 |
| 数字游民shùzì yóumín | digital nomad | someone who works remotely while moving between cities or countries | Safe with anyoneHot right now |
| 早八人zǎobā rén | 8am person | someone trapped in an early class or shift, said with suffering and solidarity | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 职场黑话zhíchǎng hēihuà | workplace secret language | hollow corporate buzzwords like empower and closed loop that sound smart but say little | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 养龙虾yǎng lóngxiā | to raise a lobster | to keep an autonomous AI agent running that does real work for you, named after the red lobster logo of the app everyone used | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2026 |
Online and texting29 words
| Word | Literally says | Actually means | Who to, and still used |
|---|---|---|---|
| yydsyyds | yyds | the eternal god, meaning the greatest of all time | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenOn the way outsince 2020 |
| xswlxiào sǐ wǒ le | the initials of xiao si wo le, laughing myself to death | LOL, I'm dying, the Chinese internet's standard typed laugh | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| awslā wǒ sǐ le | the initials of a wo si le, oh I'm dead | omg I can't take it, typed when something is unbearably cute or exciting | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| nsddnǐ shuō de duì | the initials of ni shuo de dui, you are right | sure, whatever you say, usually a sarcastic way to end an argument | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| u1s1yǒu yī shuō yī | the initials of you yi shuo yi, call one as one | to be fair, honestly speaking, typed before giving your real opinion | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| yygqyīnyáng guàiqì | the initials of yin yang guai qi, a weird sour tone of voice | speaking in a snide, passive aggressive way where the insult hides inside fake politeness | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| srdssuīrán dànshì | the initials of sui ran dan shi, although, but | even so, but, typed right before you disagree with what you just said | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| xdmxiōngdìmen | the initials of xiong di men, brothers | hey everyone, a typed way to address an online crowd | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| dbqduìbuqǐ | the initials of dui bu qi, sorry | a quick typed sorry, casual and low effort | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 笑不活了xiào bù huó le | laughing so much I can't stay alive | I'm dying of laughter, an exaggerated way to say something is hilarious | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 蚌埠住了Bèngbù zhù le | can no longer hold Bengbu, a city name that sounds like can't hold it | I can't keep it together anymore, about to burst out laughing or crying | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2021 |
| 绝绝子jué jué zi | amazing amazing, with a cutesy zi tacked on | gushing that something is the absolute best, or sarcastically the absolute worst | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenOn the way outsince 2021 |
| 泰裤辣tài kù là | Thai pants spicy, a playful misspelling of tai ku la | too cool, spelled wrong on purpose for comedic effect | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled insince 2023 |
| 家人们谁懂啊jiārénmen shéi dǒng a | family members, who understands, ah | guys, does anyone else get this, a livestreamer style cry for shared feeling | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 老铁lǎotiě | old iron | buddy, bro, a hearty term of address from northern livestream culture | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 抽象chōuxiàng | abstract | deliberately absurd, nonsensical humor that is funny precisely because it makes no sense | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2024 |
| 前方高能qiánfāng gāonéng | high energy ahead | brace yourself, something shocking or amazing is coming, a spoiler flavored warning | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 破圈pòquān | to break the circle | when something from a niche community bursts into mainstream attention | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 出圈chūquān | to leave the circle | going viral beyond your usual crowd, basically a synonym of poquan | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 玩梗wán gěng | to play with a meme | quoting or riffing on a running joke that everyone online already knows | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 烂梗làn gěng | a rotten meme | a stale joke that has been repeated way past its expiration date | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 血赚xuè zhuàn | to earn in blood | an insanely good deal, like you legally robbed the seller | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 血亏xuè kuī | to lose in blood | a painful loss or terrible deal, bleeding money | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 有内味了yǒu nèi wèi le | it's got that flavor now | now this feels right, something finally matches the authentic style you know | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 退退退tuì tuì tuì | back back back | shoo, go away, a mock ritual chant to ward off bad luck or annoying things | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2022 |
| 阴间yīnjiān | the underworld | creepy, cursed, or so badly made it feels like it came from hell | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 好家伙hǎo jiāhuo | good fellow | well I'll be, an all purpose exclamation of surprise, impressed or appalled | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 活人感huó rén gǎn | living person feeling | the sense that an account or person is genuinely human and unfiltered, not a polished fake | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2025 |
| 反精致fǎn jīngzhì | anti polished | rejecting filters and perfection online, showing messy real life on purpose | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2026 |
Feelings and reactions34 words
| Word | Literally says | Actually means | Who to, and still used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 给力gěilì | to give strength | awesome, impressive, it really delivers | Safe with anyoneOn the way outsince 2010 |
| 真香zhēnxiāng | really fragrant | I swore I would never, and now I love it | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2014 |
| 佛系fóxì | Buddha style | chill to the point of not caring, wanting nothing | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2017 |
| 上头shàngtóu | goes straight to the head | to get hooked or irrationally obsessed, like a buzz | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2019 |
| 离谱lípǔ | off the score | absurd, outrageous, beyond belief | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2020 |
| 破防pòfáng | the defense is broken | emotionally hit so hard your walls come down | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2021 |
| emoemo | emo | suddenly sad and spiraling, usually late at night | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2021 |
| 柠檬精/酸了níngméngjīng/suānle | lemon spirit / gone sour | jealous, sour with envy over someone else's luck | Friends and coworkersOn the way outsince 2019 |
| 拿捏nániē | to hold and pinch | to have something or someone completely under control | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2021 |
| 内耗nèihào | internal friction | overthinking yourself into exhaustion without doing anything | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2022 |
| 松弛感sōngchígǎn | relaxed feeling | effortless ease, looking unbothered like you own your life | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2022 |
| 那咋了nà zǎ le | so what then | yeah and? a shameless so-what comeback | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2024 |
| 麻了má le | gone numb, like a limb that fell asleep | so drained by one annoyance after another that you cannot even react anymore | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 绷不住了běng bú zhù le | the stretched-taut face cannot be held any longer | the laugh or tears you were suppressing is about to burst out | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 破大防pò dà fáng | the big defense line is broken through | a remark, joke or plot twist smashed straight through your emotional armor | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 心态崩了xīntài bēng le | my mental state just collapsed | I have completely lost my cool, one more setback and I stop functioning | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 血压上升xuèyā shàngshēng | blood pressure going up | this is making me genuinely mad, my temper is climbing notch by notch | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 心塞xīnsāi | the heart is blocked up, like a clogged pipe | quietly stifled and down, frustration sitting on your chest with no outlet | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 内心毫无波动nèixīn háo wú bōdòng | not a single ripple stirs inside the heart | performing total indifference: either truly jaded or pretending nothing can touch you | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 情绪稳定qíngxù wěndìng | emotions steady and stable | ironic badge for having swallowed every reaction and kept functioning anyway | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2023 |
| 裂开lièkāi | to crack open, split apart | I am figuratively splitting apart, past the point of coping | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 泪目lèimù | teary eyes | something moved you close to real tears, eyes glossy, not full sobbing | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 硬控yìng kòng | hard crowd control, a game stun you cannot break out of | something seized your attention and would not let go, locking you in place | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2024 |
| 偷感tōu gǎn | a sneaky, furtive feeling | the urge to do your thing without being seen, self-consciousness in stealth mode | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2024 |
| DNA动了DNA dòng le | my DNA just moved | an old trigger hit and my body reacted before my brain could vote | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 爷青回yé qīng huí | this grandpa's youth has returned | something you loved as a teenager is back, and your teenage self with it | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 敬自己一杯jìng zìjǐ yī bēi | raise a glass to myself | saluting yourself for simply making it through an ordinary, tiring day | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2025 |
| 如何呢又能怎rúhé ne yòu néng zěn | so what about it, and what could be done | a weary rhetorical shrug: whatever happens, so what, there was never anything to do | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenHot right nowsince 2025 |
| 爱你老己ài nǐ lǎo jǐ | love you, dear old me | a cutesy reminder to treat yourself like someone you are fond of | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenHot right nowsince 2025 |
| 哭哭马kū kū mǎ | the crying horse | a pouty plush horse you post when nothing is going your way | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenHot right nowsince 2026 |
| 断舍离duàn shě lí | cut off, discard, leave behind | decluttering your stuff, your habits and your relationships on purpose | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 上香shàng xiāng | to burn incense at a temple | begging the universe for luck, half joke and half genuine wish | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 栓Qshuān Q | a drawn out 'thank you' spelled phonetically | thanks a lot, said through gritted teeth when you are done with something | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2022 |
| 菜cài | a vegetable | bad at something, weak at the game, the honest opposite of skilled | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
People and social life41 words
| Word | Literally says | Actually means | Who to, and still used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 吃瓜chīguā | to eat melon | to watch drama unfold from the sidelines, popcorn in hand | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2016 |
| 靠谱kàopǔ | following the score | reliable, trustworthy, someone who actually delivers | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2008 |
| 社死shèsǐ | social death | public embarrassment so bad you want to vanish from earth | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2020 |
| 凡尔赛Fán'ěrsài | Versailles | humblebragging, complaining in order to show off | Friends and coworkersOn the way outsince 2020 |
| 官宣guānxuān | official announcement | to go public with big news, usually a relationship | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2018 |
| 塌房tāfáng | the house collapsed | your idol's scandal destroys everything you loved about them | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2020 |
| 社牛/社恐shèniú/shèkǒng | social cow / social fear | a social superhero versus someone terrified of socializing | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2021 |
| 显眼包xiǎnyǎnbāo | eye-catching bag | the lovable clown who always steals the spotlight | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2023 |
| 搭子dāzi | a pairing partner | an activity buddy, a friend for exactly one thing | Safe with anyoneHot right nowsince 2023 |
| 情绪价值qíngxù jiàzhí | emotional value | the good feelings a person gives you just by being them | Safe with anyoneHot right nowsince 2022 |
| 浓人/淡人nóngrén/dànrén | strong-flavor person / light-flavor person | someone who lives loud and intense versus quiet and mild | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2024 |
| 舔狗tiǎn gǒu | a licking dog | someone who grovels for a crush who barely knows they exist | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 备胎bèitāi | a spare tyre in the trunk | someone kept as a romantic backup while they chase someone else | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 渣男zhā nán | a man made of dregs | a boyfriend who lies, cheats and discards people without guilt | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 渣女zhā nǚ | a woman made of dregs | the female counterpart of the scumbag boyfriend: lies, uses people, moves on guilt-free | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 海王hǎiwáng | king of the sea | someone juggling several romantic interests at once, each believing they are the one | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 直男zhí nán | a straight man | a guy hopelessly tone-deaf to romance, feelings and gift occasions | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 妈宝男mābǎo nán | a mama's treasure boy | a grown man whose mother still decides everything, including his relationships | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 凤凰男fènghuáng nán | a phoenix man | a man from a poor background who made it, whose family now leans on his marriage | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 捞女lāo nǚ | a woman who fishes for money | a woman who dates men for their money and status, a gold digger | Close friends onlyHot right now |
| 普信男pǔxìn nán | an ordinary yet confident man | a painfully average guy radiating unearned certainty, especially about women | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2020 |
| 恋爱脑liàn'ài nǎo | a romance brain | someone whose whole life bends around their partner, everything else be damned | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 事业脑shìyè nǎo | a career brain | someone who puts work first and romance somewhere after the quarterly review | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| i人/e人i rén / e rén | an i person or an e person | introvert or extrovert, borrowed from a personality test and worn as an identity | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2023 |
| 白月光bái yuèguāng | white moonlight | the idealised first love you never quite had, glowing forever out of reach | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 意难平yì nán píng | the feeling will not settle flat | a lingering ache over an outcome you still cannot make peace with | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 塑料姐妹花sùliào jiěmèi huā | plastic sister flowers | a fake friendship between women: all smiles outside, all knives within | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 键盘侠jiànpán xiá | a knight-errant of the keyboard | someone ranting with maximum bravery from behind a screen, at zero personal cost | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 杠精gàng jīng | an argumentative spirit | someone who disagrees on principle, purely for the pleasure of the fight | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 白莲花bái liánhuā | a white lotus flower | someone performing purity and innocence while quietly running the game | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 绿茶lǜchá | green tea | someone acting sweet and harmless while steering people like chess pieces | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 顶流dǐngliú | the very top of the stream | an A-list star or creator whose every move trends by default | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 素人sùrén | a plain, unadorned person | a regular person with no fame, outside the entertainment machine | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 糊hú | burnt, scorched | a star whose popularity has burnt out, from famous to absent from every feed | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 私生饭sīshēng fàn | a 'private life' fan | an obsessive fan who stalks a star's private life, far past any line | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 饭圈fànquān | a fan circle | organized fandom: the clubs, rituals and running wars around one star | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 拉踩lā cǎi | pull one up and stamp on the other | bigging up your favorite by trashing their rival in the same breath | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 断亲duànqīn | to cut off relatives | young adults quietly ending contact with relatives they only see at New Year | Safe with anyoneHot right now |
| 颜控yán kòng | someone controlled by faces | someone whose attraction runs on looks first, personality second or later | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 死宅sǐ zhái | a dead shut-in, dead serious about never leaving home | a hardcore homebody or otaku who barely leaves the house, usually said with a teasing edge | Close friends onlySettled in |
| 社交牛杂症shèjiāo niúzá zhèng | social-cow mixed syndrome, a mock medical diagnosis | swinging between painfully shy and wildly bold depending on who you are with | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2021 |
Money and shopping21 words
| Word | Literally says | Actually means | Who to, and still used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 种草/拔草zhòngcǎo/bácǎo | to plant grass / to pull grass | to make someone crave a product / to finally buy it or cross it off | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2016 |
| 剁手duòshǒu | to chop off one's hands | to shop way too much and swear you will stop, then shop again | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2012 |
| 吃土chītǔ | to eat dirt | so broke after spending that dirt is all you can afford | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2015 |
| 薅羊毛hāo yángmáo | to pluck wool off a sheep, one strand at a time | milking every coupon, discount and freebie a platform offers until the deal is almost free | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 拼单pīndān | to piece separate orders together into one | teaming up with others to place one shared order so everyone saves on shipping or hits a group discount | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 尾款人wěikuǎn rén | final payment person | a shopper who paid small deposits during a presale and now owes the big balances, happily broke | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 精致穷jīngzhì qióng | exquisitely poor | living a polished, stylish life on the surface while the bank account is empty | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 消费降级xiāofèi jiàngjí | consumption downgrade | deliberately spending less across the board, switching to cheaper brands and cutting treats | Safe with anyoneHot right now |
| 平替píngtì | a level substitute, a stand-in on equal footing | a cheaper dupe that does the same job as a pricey brand item | Safe with anyoneHot right now |
| 白菜价báicài jià | cabbage price | dirt cheap, priced like the humblest vegetable in the market | Safe with anyoneSettled insince Older than the internet |
| 割韭菜gē jiǔcài | to cut chives, which regrow after every harvest | a company or scheme fleecing ordinary customers or small investors, who regrow and get cut again | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 韭菜jiǔcài | chives, the vegetable that regrows after being cut | the ordinary investor or consumer who keeps getting fleeced and keeps coming back | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 捡漏jiǎnlòu | to pick up what slipped through the cracks | snagging an underpriced gem that everyone else overlooked, from antiques to secondhand listings | Safe with anyoneSettled insince Older than the internet |
| 穷鬼套餐qióngguǐ tàocān | broke ghost meal set, ghost being a joking insult | a fast food chain's rock bottom combo that students and broke workers survive on | Friends and coworkersHot right now |
| 反向消费fǎnxiàng xiāofèi | reverse direction consumption | deliberately buying the cheaper option instead of the status brand, the opposite of keeping up appearances | Safe with anyoneSettled insince 2023 |
| 报复性存钱bàofùxìng cúnqián | revenge-style saving | saving aggressively to make up for past overspending, or to feel safe after uncertain times | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2023 |
| 雪糕刺客xuěgāo cìkè | ice cream assassin | a plain looking ice cream bar that ambushes your wallet with a shocking price at the register | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2022 |
| 穷游qióngyóu | poor travel | travelling on the tightest budget possible, hostels, night trains, street food | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 谷子gǔzi | grain, a pun on the English word goods | anime and game merch like badges, pins, acrylic standees and cards that fans collect | Friends and coworkersHot right now |
| 痛包tòngbāo | pain bag, borrowed from the Japanese idea of ita-bags | a bag covered edge to edge with badges and charms of one favorite character | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 白嫖bái piáo | white solicitation, getting it without paying a cent | enjoying content, courses or perks for free and never paying, tipping or giving anything back | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
Food and drink11 words
| Word | Literally says | Actually means | Who to, and still used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 干饭gànfàn | to attack the rice | to eat with full commitment, to chow down like it is a mission | Friends and coworkersSettled insince 2020 |
| 嗦粉suō fěn | to slurp noodles, named for the sucking sound | happily slurping down a bowl of rice noodles, a whole mood for noodle lovers | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 炫xuàn | to dazzle or show off | northeastern slang for digging into food fast and with real appetite | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 奶茶自由nǎichá zìyóu | milk tea freedom | the level of financial ease where you can buy bubble tea whenever you want without checking the price | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 打卡dǎkǎ | to punch a card, like clocking in at work | checking in at a trendy spot and posting proof you were there | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 网红店wǎnghóng diàn | internet famous shop | a shop or café that blew up online and draws crowds more for photos than quality | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 探店tàndiàn | to scout a shop | visiting new restaurants or shops to review them, usually filmed for social media | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 恰饭qià fàn | to eat rice, a dialect pronunciation of having a meal | everyday dialect for having a meal, and online, slang for taking a paid promotion to keep the lights on | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 续命水xùmìng shuǐ | life extending water | the coffee, milk tea or energy drink that keeps you functioning through the day | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 吃货chīhuò | eating goods, a creature built for food | a self declared foodie who loves eating and is proud of it | Safe with anyoneSettled in |
| 电子榨菜diànzǐ zhàcài | electronic pickled vegetables | a show or video watched as background flavour while eating alone, like a side dish for the meal | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
Strong language20 words
| Word | Literally says | Actually means | Who to, and still used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 牛逼niúbī | cow vagina, yes, the word is built from an actual crude term | seriously impressive or badass, the strongest everyday compliment, with a swear baked in | Close friends onlySettled insince Older than the internet |
| 卧槽wòcáo | a softened respelling of a strong f-word curse | an all purpose shout of shock or amazement, roughly holy crap | Close friends onlySettled insince Older than the internet |
| 我去wǒ qù | I go | a mild exclamation of surprise, the softened everyday version of stronger curses | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 我操wǒ cào | I fuck, a direct strong curse | a raw shout of genuine shock, anger or disbelief, much stronger than its softened cousins | Close friends onlySettled insince Older than the internet |
| 傻逼shǎbī | stupid cunt, built from two harsh words | a harsh insult, roughly fucking idiot, said in rage or, between close friends, as rough teasing | Close friends onlySettled insince Older than the internet |
| SBS B | the two Latin initials of shabi | the typed abbreviation of the insult, slightly softer because it is just letters | Close friends onlyTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 二百五èrbǎiwǔ | two hundred and fifty | a fool or blockhead, from an old folk story about a half-wit sum of money | Friends and coworkersSettled insince Older than the internet |
| 绝了jué le | severed, cut off, meaning beyond compare | that is incredible, or with a flat sarcastic tone, that is unbelievably absurd | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 666liù liù liù | three sixes, liu sounding like smooth and slick | typed praise for a slick move, roughly nice or smooth, spammed in streams and chats | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 无敌了wúdí le | without an enemy, unbeatable | so good it has no rival, over the top praise for anything from food to weather | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 什么鬼shénme guǐ | what ghost | what the heck, mild bewilderment at something weird or annoying | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 滚gǔn | to roll | a blunt get lost or beat it, one of the most direct ways to tell someone off | Close friends onlySettled insince Older than the internet |
| 神经病shénjīngbìng | nerve sickness, the old everyday term for mental illness | you are insane, a mild to moderate insult for crazy behavior | Close friends onlySettled insince Older than the internet |
| 沙雕shǎdiāo | sand sculpture | a respelling of a vulgar word for idiot, now mostly meaning adorably goofy | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 稳了wěn le | steady, settled | it is a lock, the outcome is basically guaranteed | Friends and coworkersSettled in |
| 特么tème | a phonetic stand-in for a curse about someone's mother | roughly damn or freaking, slipped in before a verb or adjective for emphasis | Close friends onlySettled in |
| 妈的māde | mother's | damn it, the standard moderate curse for frustration or emphasis | Close friends onlySettled insince Older than the internet |
| 淦gàn | an obscure character for rushing water, borrowed for its sound | a written stand-in for the curse gan, roughly argh or damn, typed to dodge content filters | Close friends onlyTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 寄了jì le | it has been mailed | it is over, done for, game over, from gaming slang where mailed off means finished | Friends and coworkersTyped, not spokenSettled in |
| 夯爆了hāng bào le | rammed to bursting, from ramming earth solid | an all purpose top mark: nothing gets better than this | Friends and coworkersHot right nowsince 2026 |
Take the wall with you: the slang deck, $9 once
All 185 expressions with their audio as an Anki deck, with who you can say them to on the back of every card. No subscription, 14 day refund.