How much Chinese slang do you know?
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We are all familiar with some Chinese sayings. The longer you live in the China the more you pick up. Words like lao wai (老外), bu zhi dao (不知道), ting bu dong (听不懂), and er bai wu (二百五) are simple daily staples of foreigners’ speech in China. But once you have Chinese friends- or want to make friends- learning some Chinese slang will become vital. As is the case in most of the world, slang springs up rapidly- usually starting online- and sometimes doesn’t last for long. Still, making an effort to learn current slang will go a long way in your social interactions.
Here’s some slang that you might not have heard, regardless how much time you’ve spent studying in the classroom. This is by no means a definitive list, what other slang have you picked up during your stay in China that you’ve found useful?
Slang to describe people 用来描述人的俚语:
酒鬼 jiu gui- “Wine ghost.” An alcoholic.
小家碧玉 xiao jia bi yu- “Small family’s jade.” A spoiled girl ‘little princess.’
饭桶 fan tong- “Rice holder.” A freeloader, someone who lives off his girlfriend.
小混混 xiao hun hun- “little rascal.” Bums or people who have nothing better to do than to be annoying and bother people who pass by.
她(他)的字很漂亮 ta de zi hen piao liang- “Her (his) writing is pretty.” Meaning that she/he is ugly looking.
火大 huo da- “Big fire” having a bad temper. Or being angry.
酷 ku- “Cool”
耍赖 shua lai- To act shamelessly, indifferent.
烂好人 lan hao ren- “Rotten good person.” A spineless or weak person.
自大 zi da- “Oneself big.” Arrogant or overbearing.
装逼 zhuang bi- “Pretend big.” Someone who boasts. Can also be self-mockery or friendly joke.
神经病 shen jing bing- “Crazy.”
天真 tian zhen- “Heaven real.” Naïve.
厚脸皮 hou lian pi- “Thick face skin.” Willing to make extravagant demands.
夜猫子 ye mao zi- “Night cat.” A ‘night owl’ or someone who usually parties all night.
同志 tong zhi- Gay or lesbian (old use was ‘comrade’), not derogatory.
直男zhi nan- “Straight man.” a heterosexual (only for men).
海量 hai liang- “Sea capacity.” Capable of holding one’s liquor.
累死了 lei sile- “Tired to death.” Exhausted or worn out
绿茶婊 lv cha biao- “Green tea bitch.” A beautiful girl who is a bad person.
拖拖拉拉 tuotuo lala- To be slow (reluctant), or to procrastinate.
Idioms 成语:
添油加醋 tian you jia cu- “Add oil and vinegar.” To embellish or add facts to a story.
给你点颜色看看 gei ni dian yanse kan kan- “Give you some color to see see.” Meaning, ‘I will teach you a lesson’ or ‘I will punish you’ (seriously or jokingly).
好马不吃回头草 hao ma bu chi huitou cao- “A good horse doesn’t eat the grass that has already been chewed.” Metaphor meaning to move on or not go back to a situation with no potential: like a dead-end job.
左耳朵进右耳朵出 zuo er duo jin you er duo chu- “Goes in through the left ear and goes out the right one.” Not listening to a word the person has said.
吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸 chi bu dao putao shuo putao suan- “Can’t eat grapes but will say that they are sour.” When someone says something is bad even though (or because) they can’t enjoy it.
心里有鬼 xinli yougui- “There’s a ghost inside your heart.” Said to a person whose conscience is bothering them.
Other daily slang 其他日常俚语:
什么鬼 shenme gui- “What the hell!?”
我靠 wokao- “I lean.” But used as ‘wow’ or generic exclamation. Similar to “Oh fuck!”
干嘛 gan ma- “What is it now?” or “What do you want know?” Used to show irritation.
赖床 lai chuang- “Stay bed.” To stay in bed and not get up.
咱们 zan men- We/us. Sometimes used in place of ‘我们 wo men’
追 zhui- “Chase.” To pursue a man or woman romantically.
分手 Fen shou- “Divide hands.” To break up in a relationship
一夜情 yi ye qing- “One night feeling.” A one-night stand or ‘ONS.’
插嘴 cha zui- “Insert mouth.” To interrupt someone talking.
闭嘴 bi zui- Shut up.
啰嗦 luo suo- To talk too much (bibibi哔哔哔).
种草莓 zhong caomei- “To plant strawberries.” To give someone a hickey.
吹牛 or 吹 chui niu- “Blow beef.” To boast/brag.
休想 xiu xiang- “Stop dreaming.” Never, or ‘in your dreams.’
吓死 xia si- “Scared death.” Being very scared to the point of death
烂醉 lan zui- piss/blind/dead drunk
炒鱿鱼 chao you yu- “roast squid.” To get fired.
超 chao- “Very.” As in 超酷 ‘very cool’
吃土 chi tu- “Eating dirt.” To be so broke that you have to eat dirt.
不造 bu zao- “Don’t know.” Contraction of ‘bu zhi dao’ 不知道
我好方 wo hao fang- “I’m so square.” From online gaming. ‘I’m so scared/nervous.’
怪我咯 guai wo lo- “Are you blaming me?” or ‘Not my problem.’
背黑锅 bei hei guo- “Back black pot.” A scapegoat, someone blamed for something they didn’t do.
狗带 gou dai- Phonetic translation from English ‘go die.’ Used when someone says something nonsensical or offensive. Can be joking or serious.
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