Chinese Slang
Word on the streets
Most Chinese slang terms originate from something someone once said which then became a rage and stuck around as modern language.
For example, Jackie Chang once said “Duang” in an interview advertising shampoo to express the sudden effect of the product, meaning something like “Ta Da!” and ever since then it has been used all around.
Here are some of the most popular Chinese slang words and sayings.
| 不咋的 bù zǎ de | Not great / not so hot |
| 我认识她，她不咋的 | I know her, she’s not so great. |
| 爱谁谁 Ài shéishéi | Who cares / whatever |
| 才不呢 Cái bù ne | No way / not at all |
| 她是你的朋友们？才不呢! | Is she your friend? No way! |
| 你行你上 Nǐ xíng nǐ shàng | If you can do it, go do it. Literally: you can you up |
| 你开心就好 Nǐ kāi xīn jiù hǎo | Whatever floats your boat |
| 眼皮底下 Yǎnpí dǐxia | Out from under your eyes |
| 他眼皮底下偷了我的手机。 | He stole my phone right under my eyes |
| 也是醉了 Yě shì zuì le! | Are you kidding me? Literally: I must also be drunk |
| 老师给我们那么多的作业啊！也是醉了! | The teacher gave us so much homework! Are you kidding me! |
| 世纪末 Shì jì mò | A loneliness party |
| 我的朋友都有男朋友。我今天晚上自己去看电影，世纪末。 | All of my friend have boyfriends. I’m going to watch a movie tonight, a loneliness party. |
| 哥们 Gē men | Bro’s |
| 他们是我上学的哥们。 | They are my bro’s from school. |
| 算了 Suàn le | Forget it, anyways |
| 那，算了。 | Forget it. |
Have you heard ones you think others should know? Let us know below!
Have a look at our internet lingo article to discover the coded world of Chinese texting.
24 May 2017
