Chinese is one of the most spoken languages in the world, with one the most spoken variant being Mandarin. To sound like a native, you’ll want to learn at least a few Chinese slang words. These are among the best!
There are actually two distinct versions of Chinese slang: verbal and internet slang. The latter is naturally the newest, although much of the latter has entered verbal slang.
15. 丑八怪 (chǒu bā guài) – (Very) ugly
Personally, out of all the Chinese slang terms I know of, 丑八怪 is my absolute favorite! If not due to its somewhat offensive slang meaning, because of what its slang meaning actually means!
If you were to look at 丑八怪 in the dictionary, you’d find that 丑八怪 translates as “Monster-looking”! Which, when you think about it, makes sense to call someone who isn’t attractive “Monster-looking”.
However, 丑八怪 isn’t just “Ugly”. Instead, it is used to say that someone is more than just ugly, usually with the intensifier “Very” although you could use other intensifiers like “Extremely” as well.
Example:
Chinese: 你是個丑八怪
Pinyin: Nǐ shìgè chǒu bā guài
English: You are (very) ugly
14. 牛牛牛 (niuniuniu) – Ha ha ha
Almost every language has some equivalent of “text talk” or “text speak”. China was one of the first to adopt it on a national level. Perhaps the most famous of all of these is 牛牛牛.
牛牛牛 is the Chinese equivalent of hahaha used in English text speak. In English, ha is considered to sound like we’re laughing, in Chinese its niu, represented as 牛, so several “laughs” is 牛牛牛.
Just a single 牛 in Chinese slang also has a completely different meaning! Instead of simulating laughter, a single 牛 is used to say something like “great ” or “awesome” usually describing an object of some kind.
Example:
Chinese: 1) [Enter joke] 2) 牛牛牛
Pinyin: 1) [Enter joke] 2) niuniuniu
English: 1) [Enter joke] 2) Ha ha ha
13. 宅男 (zháinán) – Nerd / Gamer
China, as with many developed nations, has become addicted to our screens. WiFi is present almost everywhere you go, even in the countryside and very rural villages. One of the favorite pastimes among Chinese children is gaming.
Originally, the term 宅男 was used as an insult (during the 1980’s) for a bookworm or someone who was a bit of a nerd. However, it has since been reinvented to describe someone who sits at their computer gaming.
Depending on who you use it with, it can be used in either context or both. Many adults who grew up in the 1980’s and have kids now, understand both contexts, although many Chinese teens don’t understand its previous meaning.
English:
Chinese: 他是個宅男
Pinyin: Tā shìgè zháinán
English: He’s a nerd
12. 没门儿 (méi mén er) – No way!
Behind the aforementioned 丑八怪, 没门儿 is certainly one of my favorite Chinese slang terms. And it is for the same reason: its literal and slang meanings being so alike, yet so dissimilar!
Literally, 没门儿 translates as “No door!” however, it is more commonly used to say “No way!” or “Not a chance” or, depending on the context “Not a chance in hell!” it is similar as well to “It will be a cold day in hell!”
Despite its more common slang interpretations, it can also be used in a different way: surprise. If someone does or says something that pulls on your heartstrings in a good way, you might use 没门儿 to mean “No way!”
Example:
Chinese: 1) 她是你的女朋友嗎? 2) 没门儿!
Pinyin: 1) Tā shì nǐ de nǚ péngyǒu ma? 2) Méi mén er!
English: 1) Is she you’re girlfriend? 2) No way!
11. 520 (wǔ’èrlíng) – I love you
In almost every language’s slang, there is some way to say I love you. Chinese doesn’t… not really. However, Chinese “text speak” has yielded the slang 520, yes, as in the number.
Confused? Don’t be. The number 520 (pronounced wǔ’èrlíng), when spoken sounds a lot like wǒ ài nǐ or the Chinese way of saying “I love you”. Some tech-savvy Chinese teens realized this, and it has been used ever since.
With that being said, it is one of the few “text speak” Chinese slang that isn’t in speech. Perhaps due to how odd it would sound spoken aloud, in either Chinese or English, it is relegated to text only!
Example:
Chinese: 520
Pinyin: wǔ’èrlíng
English: I love you!
10. 土 (tû) – Outdated
土 is a fairly recent Chinese slang term, only really coming into common vernacular in recent years. With that being said, it is one of the more common slang terms, usually used to describe objects rather than people!
Literally, 土 means “dirt” or “soil”. However, it has been reinvented to mean something along the lines of “outdated” or more commonly “unfashionable”. As you can probably guess, it most commonly used to describe clothes.
If translated into American English (accounting for slang) it is often translated in the very recent American slang term “basic” which has an eerily similar meaning to 土.
Example:
Chinese: 那電話是土
Pinyin: Nà diànhuà shì tû
English: That phone is outdated
9. 250 二百五 (èr bǎi wǔ) – Idiot
Another Chinese slang term that uses numbers. 250 has been used in Chinese slang for hundreds of years, although has really seen an uptake in recent years thanks to China’s “text speak” slang.
250 originates from China’s old money system. 500 was the largest demonination and had a whole in the middle, but there was no 250. So traders began calling people they didn’t like a 250, essentially half their worth!
Soon, all of China began using it, after hearing merchants use it.
This isn’t just native to China. Thanks to China being the pre-eminent power in the region for a long time, many other countries in the area use it as well. Although China is the originator and most common user of it.
Example:
Chinese: 你是個二百五
Pinyin: Nǐ shìgè èr bǎi wǔ
English: You are an idiot
8. 二货 (èr huò) – Fool
Chinese has two main ways of calling someone stupid or foolish, the first one being 250 and the other one being 二货. This has seen prevalence at the start of last decade, although has began to fizzle out in recent years.
Literally, 二货 has no meaning. However, in Chinese slang, it means “stupid man/person”, or more accurately “Foolish man/person”. Unlike 250, 二货 is only ever used as an insult, never as a joke.
二货 has an interesting origin- the internet. When internet forums became quite popular in China, someone would post a comment and the next comment would call them an idiot: using 二, and eventually, 二货.
Example:
Chinese: 你是個二货
Pinyin: Nǐ shìgè èr huò
English: You’re a fool
7. 去死吧 (qùsǐba) – Go to hell!
去死吧 is sometimes written as 748 in Chinese “text talk” slang, with it being incredibly commonplace in both contexts. Depending on the context it can be not even rude to incredibly rude.
There is no literal translation of 去死吧. However, it is used anywhere from “Leave me alone” to “F*ck off” to “Go to hell” on the far end of the spectrum it can be used to tell someone to “Go and die!”
Interestingly, it is used by *very* close friends as a sort of joke. One of the friends says something that is funny, but kind of pokes fun at one of the other friends and they return with 去死吧/748 but don’t really mean it!
Example:
Chinese: 1) 你是個二货 2) 去死吧!
Pinyin: 1) Nǐ shìgè èr huò 2) Qùsǐba
English: You’re an idiot 2) Go to hell!
6. 爱谁谁 (ài shéi shéi) – Who cares?
If you plan on visiting Beijing, this is certainly the one piece of Chinese slang you definitely will hear! It is most commonly used in Beijing, although you will also hear it in other large Chinese “Megacities“.
Literally, 爱谁谁 translates as “Do what you want”. However, it is more commonly used in the context of “Whatever” or “Who cares?”, usually being used in a very relaxed environment.
In many ways t is similarly used to the French slang term laisse tomber. Depending on who you say it to (and the context), you might get told off (ie. don’t say it to a teacher after they tell you that you’ve done something wrong!)
Example:
Chinese: 1) 你違反了學校規則 2) 爱谁谁?
Pinyin: 1) Nǐ wéifǎnle xuéxiào guīzé 2) Ài shéi shéi?
English: 1) You broke a school rule 2) Who cares?
5. 算了 (suàn le) – Whatever
The other main way to say “Whatever” or “Who cares?” in Chinese is 算了. However, both are very distinctive and are used in completely different contexts (and places!)
Literally, 算了 translates as “Forget it” or “Let it go”. However, it is more commonly used in the context of “Whatever” or (depending on context) “Who cares?” Sadly, 算了 is more common outside of Beijing.
Sadly, 算了 is used when you are ending something, be it a night out, conversation or even a relationship. It can be used to end it, or to describe you’re feelings towards it (or both!)
Example:
Chinese: 1) 你人很好 2) 算了
Pinyin: 1) Nǐ rén hěn hǎo 2) Suàn le
English: 1) You’re nice 2) Whatever
4. 矮丑穷 (ǎichǒuqióng) – Short, poor and ugly
China, just as worth most other cultures, has a certain expectation of what the “ideal” husband is. However, 矮丑穷 is the complete opposite of the ideal husband, the sort of guy you wouldn’t want to call “family”.
There is technically no English equivalent of 矮丑穷. It is more like a list of physical descriptions of what a socially imperfect husband should look like, mostly these are physical, although they are also economic too.
In China, the socially imperfect husband is short, poor and is unattractive. The latter two are fairly self-explanatory, but short indicates that he had a lack of food as child and hence didn’t grow enough, and that he may do it for his own kids too.
Example:
Chinese: 你不要矮丑穷
Pinyin: Nǐ bùyào ǎichǒuqióng
English: You don’t want a ǎichǒuqióng (husband)
3. 高富帅 (gāofùshuài) – Tall, rich and handsome
The opposite of 矮丑穷 is 高富帅 which is a sign of incredible social standing in China. As with 矮丑穷, the idea around it may seem odd to foreigners, although to Chinese women and families, is the ideal thing!
Just as with 矮丑穷, there is no real translation of 高富帅. Instead, it is a word used by Chinese people to list a series of desirable characteristics for a potential husband for yourself/daughter/sister.
The traits of a 高富帅 are that they are tall, rich and handsome. Handsome and rich are both fairly self-explanatory. However, tall is used to prove this, being tall means you had plenty of food growing up and hence grew.
This means that you can do the same for your own children one day!
Example:
Chinese: 您需要找到一個高富帅
Pinyin: Nín xūyào zhǎodào yīgè gāofùshuài
English: You need to find a gāofùshuài (husband)
2. 白富美 (báifùměi) – Tall, white, rich and beautiful
The latter two are used by women to describe potential male suitors, 白富美 is used by males to describe a potential female suitor. To outsiders, the term may seem quite odd, although it is just a cultural thing.
In China, the ideal woman is someone who is tall, light skinned, rich and beautiful. This shows that she comes from a family with money- she was well fed as a child, and her light complexion shows she didn’t have to do manual labor outside.
Plus, who doesn’t want a girl who is rich and beautiful?! The term 白富美 (pronounced: báifùměi) is used to describe that! It is the equivalent of “Ms Perfect” in English slang, although is a compliment rather than an insult.
Example:
Chinese: 我理想的女人是白富美
Pinyin: Wǒ lǐxiǎng de nǚrén shì báifùměi
English: My ideal woman is a báifùměi (wife)
1. 黑人问号 (hēirénwènhào) – Excuse me! (Interjection)
In almost every language, there is some form of interjection that you can use if (and when) someone says something that surprises you. In Chinese, it is 黑人问号 which is one of the more common Chinese slang words!
When somebody says or does something that surprises you, you’d say 黑人问号. It is roughly the equivalent of how many young girls (and occasionally guys) shout the term “Excuse me!”, usually in a high pitched voice.
However 黑人问号 can’t be used to get someone’s attention the same way that “Excuse me” can in English. Other than in the aforementioned context, 黑人问号 has no meaning whatsoever!
Example:
Chinese: 1) 你聞起來很好 2) 黑人问号
Pinyin: 1) Nǐ wén qǐlái hěn hǎo. 2) Hēirénwènhào!
English: 1) You smell nice. 2) Excuse me!
Which are your favorite Mandarin slang words? Tell me in the comments!