Why Chinese Slang?

As a Chinese learner, do you have this issue?

You feel like you can communicate competently – but there’s still something missing.

You want to be able to make Chinese people laugh, and say things that are more thought provoking.

You’re not content just speaking passably – you want to communicate powerfully.

You want to connect to Chinese people on a personal level.

There’s one simple step you can take to get there – learn Chinese slang.

The Problem with Trying to Learn Chinese Slang

But there’s a small problem – most resources tend to not give Chinese slang the attention that it deserves. Established online dictionaries often do not cover slang at all, while other sites relating to Chinese may cover some slang in passing. Online resources also tend not to filter between slang that is more socially acceptable and can be regularly used by language learners and slang that would raise eyebrows (and fists).

In short, Chinese slang is treated like a novelty or gimmick, rather than an essential part of learning Chinese.

The Solution: An In-Depth Approach to Useful Chinese Slang

We know how frustrating it can be to learn the right Chinese slang well.

So we’ve gone ahead and:

picked useful, socially acceptable, and highly relevant Chinese slang

done some detective work into the cultural origins of each word or phrase

distilled the essence of what the word means

provided copious, detailed examples about correct usage.

If you like this list, you might also like our vocab deck on Elementary Business words.



Our FluentU Chinese Slang Posts

Below are our Chinese slang posts. I’m calling this page the “Ultimate Guide” because that’s what it aspires to be, not because it is already there. Please let us know if you have any suggestions or requests for future posts. Hope you find this useful!

Timeless Classics of Chinese Slang

Chinese Slang for “Newbie”: you’ll find this useful next time you have to say something modest in Chinese.

Spike Up Your Energy & Pump That Gas!: if you can’t guess the word this post is about, you should definitely read it. A must-know word.

Chinese Slang 101: Can’t take it anymore? 伤不起: with this word, we’re starting to get more “real.” You will get some street cred with your Chinese friends.

Chinese Slang: The Ba Series for Tests, Interviews, and Karaoke: this post will give you a high return on your time. Figure out what you can do by adding the word “ba4” to the front of some words.

Chinese Slang 101: How do you say “girly” in Chinese? 娘: your Chinese friend will definitely at least crack a smile after hearing this.

Chinese Slang 101: “Color Wolf”: might not want to go around calling your friends this – but it’s so commonly used that you should at least be familiar with this word.

Recently Popular Chinese Slang

Who Knew That Chinese Fruits Were Under So Much Pressure: this one is really quirky but it might be your style.

Chinese Slang 101: How to say someone is making a fool out of himself: handsome celebrity makes a fool of himself on nationwide TV but the story ends happily.

Valentines Day, aka “Catch Your Lover Day” in China: the two busiest businesses on Valentines Day? Florists and detectives. Find out why.

Chinese Slang: “Minding My Own Business”: this one still kind of has me scratching my head, but useful.

Slang For The NEW “What?!” – Horse God: another quirky one – very popular recently.

Hold住 – What Disney & Spielberg Did To Be Successful: if you’re getting tired of 加油, maybe you can switch it up with this one.

Chinese Slang 101: A-OKAY: inspired by one of China’s funniest and most famous actors, Ge You.

Top 5 Jeremy Lin Puns in China and Taiwan: is it possible to dislike anything related to Jeremy Lin?

Chinese slang to help you celebrate “Magical Singles Day”: I highly recommend this one – a list of useful slang related to dating and relationships.

The Cool Way to Say Help or Support: 顶: if you get tired of saying 帮 or 支持, this is a really authentic expression that will make you sound like a local.

Slang for Feeling Down: 囧: it means exactly what it looks like.

Chinese Slang related to Chinese society

Chinese Slang 101: Chinese geeks and nerds – 宅男: another essential one that you should learn, if you don’t know it already.

Chinese Slang 101: “Leftover Girls” and “Diamond Wangs”: really tells you a lot about Chinese society. One of our most popular posts.

Chinese Slang: The Naked Series: one of my personal favorites. This will give you a high return on the time you invest in reading it.

China’s Group Buyers – 拼客: it’ll be clear why Groupon failed in China.

Chinese Slang: The “Rushing Clan”: you can use this word to describe the generation of people born between 1975 and 1985.

The “Nibble Old Group” and Other Notable 族s: on the one hand we have people living with their parents. On the other hand we have DINK (dual income, no kids).

The Many Varieties of “上班族”: learn how to say “yuppe,” “marriage slave,” and “workaholic.”

Chinese Slang: “Company Moths”: what do moths and office workers have in common?

Other Useful Resources for Chinese Slang

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Click here to learn more!