Internet Slang Glossary

A

愛笑的女孩運氣不會太差 [ài xiào de nǚ hái yùn qi bú huì tài chà]: Girls who like laughing usually don’t have bad luck.

愛無能 [ài wú néng]: Inability to love. This Internet slang term refers to some people’s inability to enter a relationship. The reasons vary. Some people are traumatized by past relationships, some are too narcissistic to love others, some are afraid of commitment, some repress their feelings too much…Some people attribute their singledom to their inability to love.

安利 [ān lì]: To Amway. To advertise what one adores. 

艹 [ǎo]: 1. To fuck [someone]. 2. <Expletive> Fuck, shit.

傲嬌 [ào jiāo]: Sassy.

凹造型 [āo zào xíng]=拗造型 [ǎo zào xíng]: 1. To strike a cool pose. 2. To strike a unnatural pose. 3. To make a funny pose [for photo shooting]. 

A片 [A piàn]: Porn movies.

A站 [A zhàn]: A site aka Acfun.

愛情動作片 [ài qíng dòng zuò pian]: Love+action+movie aka porn movies.

B

霸道總裁 [bà dào zǒng cái]: Overbearing+executive. A rich, imposing, and controlling male character who is attracted to an unlikely female love interest.

霸道總裁愛上我 [bà dào zǒng cái ài shàng wǒ]: <Expression> The overbearing executive fell in love with me. A popular storyline in Chinese and Korean TV shows where an upper-class man falls in love with a working-class woman. 

八零後 [bā líng hòu]:  The Post-’80 or the Post-1980. People born between 1980 and 1989 in mainland China.

把妹 [bǎ mēi]: To hit on a woman.

霸屏 [bà píng]: To occupy the screen. To have multiple projects aired on TV and/or shown in movie theaters.  

霸氣 [bà qì]: 1. Confident and imposing. 2. Swagger. 3. Single-minded, narcissistic machismo.

霸氣側漏 [bà qì cè lòu]: <Expression> Swag+side leakage [as of sanitary towels]. This expression humorously describes a person’s excessive domineering presence or pompous display of expertise or fortune that makes people around him or her slightly uncomfortable. 

霸氣外露 [bà qì wài lù]: Swagger overflows. Often used sarcastically. 

把我炸出來 [bǎ wǒ zhà chū lái]: <Expression> Bomb me out. This expression is often used in sentences like “this question/word/picture bombed me out” meaning that the question/word/picture evokes one’s desire to speak up on the Internet.  

白富美 [bái fù měi]: Light-skinned, rich, and beautiful. A stereotype of an ideal woman for dating or marriage.

白蓮花 [bái lián huā]: White lotus flower. 1. Kind, innocent, lovable, good people. 2. People who pretend to be kind, innocent, and lovable.

白毛女 [bái máo nǚ]: The white haired girl. This Internet slang term is a humorous moniker for Starbucks. The White Haired Girl is one the earliest PRC films.

抱大腿 [bào dà tuǐ]: Hug+lap. To cling to someone’s laps. To curry favor. To be obsequious and exhibit a fawning attitude. 

抱緊我 [bào jǐn wǒ]: Hold me tight. A humorous way to invite others to side with you or to call for people who share your experience.

百合 [bǎi hé]: Lily. Lesbian. 

掰彎 [bāi wān]: To bend [someone]. To turn a heterosexual person into a homosexual. Sometimes this Internet slang term is used to praise a charming person of the same sex. 

爆表 [bào biǎo]: Off the charts. Extremely. 

爆棚 [bào péng]: Explode+shack/tent/canopy. (Of something) great in quantity, measure, or degree.

暴強 [bào qiáng]: Incredibly awesome.

暴走 [bào zǒu]: 1. To lose self control. 2. To flip out or get mad at someone.

玻璃心 [bō lí xīn]: Glass-like fragile heart. Snowflake.

北鼻 [běi bí]: North+nose. Baby. A humorous alternative of “baby” mimicking the Taiwanese accent to play cute.

悲催 [bēi cuī]: So sad that it makes you cry.  This Internet slang term is often used to describe something that’s shocking, sad and hard to accept.

背鍋 [bēi guō]: Carry+wok. 1) To be made the scapegoat. 2) To bear the blame for someone else’s mistake.

杯具 [bēi jù]: Cups. Tragedy.  This Internet slang term is a cute way of saying 悲剧 [bēi jù] “tragedy” because they are homophones.

被自己帥醒 [bèi zì jǐ shuài xǐng]: To be waken up by one’s handsomeness.

奔放洋氣有深度 [bēn fàng yáng qì yǒu shēn dù]: Wild, western, and deep.

崩溃 [bēng kuì]: Feeling crushed, having an emotional meltdown.

碧池 [bì chí]: Turquoise pond. Bitch. This Internet slang term is a euphemism for “bitch” because of the similar pronunciation. 

壁咚 [bì dōng]: Wall+slapping sound. To force someone against a wall with one hand or to lean against a wall and make a slapping sound, leaving the woman nowhere to go. 

表 [biǎo]: Shall not, do not [do something]. A humorous alternative of 不要 [bú yào] “do not” by mimicking the Taiwanese accent. 

表情包 [biǎo qíng bāo]: Emoji package. A humorous picture or GIF used in online conversations as an emoji. The image is often captioned.  Celebrities’ pictures of exaggerated facial expressions are often captioned as emojis.

別說話，吻我 [bié shuō huà, wěn wǒ]: <Expression> Don’t talk, kiss me. This expression was a caption of pouting selfies flaunted by a successful gamer. It also appeared in the lyrics of an Internet pop song. Now it is used for joking or playing cute.

逼格 [bī gé]: Fraud caliber. The ability to make people think you are better than you really are.

BL: Boys’ Love. Originating from the Japanese ACG culture, this Internet slang term refers to literary or anime works about homosexual relationships between teenage boys.

並沒有 [bìng méi yǒu]: Actually, not really. This Internet slang term is often used to defy someone else’s presumption humorously. 

比心 [bǐ xīn]/筆芯 [bǐ xīn]: Gesticulate+heart. Or pencil lead. Make a heart-shape with one’s hand or one’s thumb and index finger to show love and support. There are generally three ways. Click on the Chinese word to see the picture instructions.  

补刀 [bǔ dāo]: <Gaming terminology> To attack a dying person once more to make sure he or she will definitely die. Similar to “rub salt in the wound,” this Internet slang term is later used to describe further mocking or rebuttal in communication. 

不會聊天 [bú huì liáo tiān]: To not know how to chat. A person who doesn’t know how to chat tends to offend others intentionally or unintentionally. This Internet slang term is often used humorously as a mild criticism of the lack of consideration of others’ feelings.

不明覺厲 [bù míng jué lì]: <Expression> This slang term is short for “[I] don’t understand it but feel it’s awesome.”

不能我一個人瞎 [bù néng wǒ yí gè rén xiā]: <Expression> I can’t go blind alone. This Internet meme is used after you see gross or scary stuff online. You are so traumatized that you wish to poke your eyes out, but before you do that, you feel you must share what you saw…

不忍直視 [bù rěn zhí shì]: <Expression> Cannot bear to look at [someone or something] straight in the eye. This Internet slang term is used when you find it hard to accept a situation.

。。。不是高冷，只是暖的不是你 [。。。bú shì gāo lěng, zhǐ shì nuǎn de bú shì nǐ]: <Expression> [Someone] is not cold and aloof—it’s just that you are not the one he/she cares about. This Internet slang phrase is used to comment on the fact that someone is not that into you.

不忘初心 [bú wàng chū xīn]: <Expression> Do not forget the original aspiration. This expression is used to remind oneself or to commend others for sticking to one’s beliefs or dreams.

不要不要 [bú yào bú yào]: <Expression> No! No! This phrase is originally related to Japanese porn movies.

不裝逼我們還是好朋友 [bù zhuāng bī wǒ men hái shì hǎo péng yǒu]: <Expression> If you don’t act all snotty, we can still be good friends.

不作死就不會死 [bù zuō sǐ jiù bú huì sǐ]=No Zuo No Die [no zuō no die]: <Expression> If you don’t seek death, you won’t die. If you don’t do stupid things, you won’t suffer. This phrase is often used to comment on crazy behaviors that lead to embarrassment and awkwardness.

B站 [B zhàn]: B site aka bilibili.

C

彩蛋 [cǎi dàn]: Colorful+egg. Video teaser.

操 [cào]: <Expletive> Fuck. Darn it. Shit.

艹 [cǎo]: <Expletive> Fuck.

草 [cǎo]: <Expletive> Fuck.

草泥馬 [cǎo ní mǎ]: 1. Grass Mud Horse. A nickname for a llama . 2. A symbol of defiance against Internet censorship in China because it sounds like the expletive 操你妈 [cào nǐ mā] “fuck your mother.” 

蹭熱度 [cèng rè dù]: Cadge+heat. To freeload the popularity of a more famous celebrity for personal gain, especially public attention. This Internet slang term is often used by the fans to attack someone whom they often consider to be less popular than their idol.

鏟屎官 [chǎn shǐ guān]: Scoop+poo+official. The poo-scooping official. This Internet slang term is a playful nickname for cat owners because that’s what they do for their pet cats every day.  It is often used self-mockingly and rather proudly by cat owners.

潮 [cháo]: Trendy, fashionable, hip, cool.

炒雞 [chǎo jī]: Stir-fry+chicken. This Internet slang term means 超級 [chāo jí] “super, extremely.” 

朝陽群眾 [cháo yáng qún zhòng]: People of Chaoyang District [in Beijing]. Residents of this area are famous crime-busters who actively report suspicious activity to the police to ensure community safety.

程序媛 [chéng xù yuán]: Programming+beautiful woman. An affectionate nickname for female programmers. This Internet slang term and 程序員 “programmer” are homophones.

車震 [chē zhèn]: Car+quake. To have sex in a car.

癡漢臉 [chī hàn liǎn]: Infatuated man’s face. This Internet slang term is used to describe one’s ardent admiration for someone or something. It is very often seen in the humorous depiction of one’s adoration for an idol’s looks and/or talents.

吃貨 [chī huò]: People who like eating. These people may know a lot about eating—foodies, or simply like stuffing their faces without developing a good taste for food—food junkies.

吃土 [chī tǔ]: To eat soil. This Internet slang term quips about the consequence of spending too much money on online shopping—eating nothing but soil because soil is free.

寵溺 [chǒng nì]: Spoil+indulge. Indulgent, indulgently, loving indulgence. 

傳送門 [chuán sòng mén]: Door-shaped teleporter. Portal, the link to a website. This Internet slang term often precedes a website link or is used to request the link to more information on a subject.

船戲 [chuán xì]: Boat scenes=bed scenes=sex scenes. This Internet slang term came into popularity because “boat” and “bed” sound alike.

穿越 [chuān yuè]: To go through [the time tunnel], to achieve time travel.

出坑 [chū kēng]: To get out of a pit. To complete an Internet novel; to accomplish all the tasks in an online game.

蠢萌 [chǔn méng]: Silly+cute. Adorkable.

触手 [chù shǒu]: 1. Illustrators who use touch-enabled devices and pressure-sensitive pens. 2. ACG illustrators.

此處應有掌聲 [cǐ chù yīng yǒu zhǎng shēng]: <Expression> A round of applause is expected here. This expression is often humorously used by the self-touted speaker to invite the audience to acknowledge what he or she just said. 

次元 [cì yuán]: Dimension. Originating from the Japanese ACG culture, this Internet slang term refers to a collection of elements in fantasy worlds. A typology of such worlds witnesses 1-, 2-, and, 3-dimensional worlds as known in common sense.

從此節操是路人 [cóng cǐ jié cāo shì lù rén]: Scruples have since been passers-by. This expression means making unconventional choices would distance you from the social norms widely observed by the conservative people. 

CP: Couple. This Internet slang term is often used to describe couples in movies or TV series. Sometimes it is also used to describe real-life couples. 

CP粉 [CP fěn]: Fans of on-screen couples. They sometimes hope that the two actors become a real-life couple.

粗來 [cū lái]: Come out. A humorous phonetic deviation of 出來 [chū lái] “come out”.

粗線 [cū xiàn]: Bold+line. To appear, to show up. This Internet slang term and 出現 [chū xiàn] “come up, show up” are homophones. This term is a humorous way of saying “to appear” with a Taiwanese accent.

D

打Call [dǎ call]: To root for [someone or something]. This Internet slang term originated from Wotagei or otagei, which refers to a type of dancing and cheering gestures performed by wota, fans of Japanese idol singers (and thus seen as Akiba-kei), involving jumping, clapping, arm-waving and chanting slogans.

打臉 [dǎ liǎn]: To slap one’s own face. To behave in ways that contradict one’s previous statements; to have one’s claims contradicted by the truth.

大牛[dà niú]: Legendary person, hot shot. A person who said or did amazing or funny things.

大清已亡 [dà qīng yǐ wáng]: <Expression> The Qing dynasty has already perished. This expression is often used to criticize outmoded ways of thinking and behaving, such as authoritarianism and misogyny. ​​​​

大神 [dà shén]: Legendary person, hot shot. A person who said or did amazing or funny things.

大叔 [dà shū]: Uncle. As an Internet slang term, this word often refers to a financially better-off, stylish older male who is attractive to younger women. It is often used with sarcasm by 20-something males who are jealous that the women their age might abandon them for older males. However, in other cases, this term is simply used to describe a middle-aged man.

大写加粗 [dà xiě jiā cū]: Written in bold and all caps. This Internet slang term is used to emphasize the words that come thereafter.

帶節奏 [dài jié zòu]: Lead+rhythm. <Gaming terminology> To instigate a fight. This Internet slang term is originally used to describe a gamer who determines the strategies for the whole team in a group video or computer game. Now it is used to describe an Internet user who misleads others with wrong information or offensive language in online discussions and instigates verbal fights among groups holding opposing views.

待我長髮及腰 [dài wǒ cháng fà jí yāo]: <Expression> “When my hair is long enough to reach my waist” got popular in 2013 as a Sina Weibo topic under which many female Weibo users posted pics of their long hair online. Those women usually caption their waist-length hair with wishes about dating and relationships.

擔當 [dān dāng]: [Role] assumption. This Internet slang term is used after a noun to describe a task or challenge that one takes on.

淡定=蛋腚 [dàn dìng]: [Unusually] calm/calmly. The alternative homophone expression is 蛋腚 “balls+butt.”

耽美 [dān měi]: Obsess+beauty. Japanese literary term たんび (tanbi) which originally referred to aestheticism but has evolved to be connected with BL-themed works since the 1970s.

彈幕 [dàn mù]: Barrage, referring to the viewer comments that fly over the video screen. This Internet phenomenon originated from Japan’s video sharing site Niconico and is now widely seen on China’s websites such as AcFun, bilibili, tucao, and dilili.

蛋妞兒  [dàn niū er]: Egg+lass. This Internet slang term is a nickname for the hunky Daniel Wu Yin-cho or Wu Yanzu. The slang term sounds like a nickname for a country girl in North China but it is adapted from the pronunciation of his English name “Daniel.”

單身狗 [dān shēn gǒu]: Single dog. This Internet slang term refers to single people who are eager to enter a relationship but find it difficult to achieve the goal.

單身汪 [dān shēn wāng]: Single+woof.  This Internet slang term refers to single people who are eager to enter a relationship but find it difficult to achieve the goal.

蛋疼 [dàn téng]: Testicles+pain. Literally “[make someone] have pain in the testicles”, this slang term is used to describe things or people that are incredibly ridiculous, painful or embarrassing.

叨逼叨 [dāo bī dāo]: Meaningless, rapid talk; an idle chatter; gabble; nagging.

逗逼=逗比 [dòu bī]: Clown, hoot. An amusing person.  

抖機靈 [dǒu jī ling]: <Expression> Shake+cleverness. Make a wisecrack. This expression is used slightly negatively to describe people who quip to show off how witty they are.

抖M [dǒu m]: Shake+M. Seriously masochistic. A seriously masochistic person. Derived from the Japanese wordドM in the ACG subculture, this Internet slang term refers to the tendency to derive sexual gratification from one’s own pain or humiliation.

抖S [dǒu s]: Shake+S. Seriously sadistic. A seriously sadistic person. Derived from the Japanese wordドS in the ACG subculture, this Internet slang term refers to the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.

抖森 [dǒu sēn]: Tremble+forest. This Internet slang term is a nickname for Tom Hiddleston because it sounds a little like his last name “Hiddleston.”

得瑟 [dè se]: 1. To gloat. 2. To act cocky.

點讚之交 [diǎn zàn zhī jiāo]: Click+like+acquaintances. People who maintain a minimal connection or their friendship superficially by liking each other’s social media posts.

低調奢華有內涵 [dī diào shē huá yǒu nèi hán]: Low-key, luxurious, and insightful.

屌爆 [diǎo bào]: Penis+explode. A vulgar way to say “so damn good.”

吊打 [diào dǎ]: To hang someone up and beat him or her. To lash out on someone.

屌絲=吊絲 [diǎo sī]: Penis+thread. Threadlike penis. Weenies, bimbos, pricks. This Internet slang term is a derogatory term that describes the working-class young people who live in the shadow of the ideal men (tall, handsome and rich) or women (light-skinned, rich, and beautiful). This term is often used to refer to oneself as a form of self-mockery.

丁日 [dīng rì]: Dick+fxxk. This Internet slang term is a derogatory nickname for Justin Biber because the two Chinese characters look like his initials JB which is the Pinyin acronym for 雞巴 [jī bā] “penis.”

都教授 [dū jiào shòu]: Professor Du, referring to Do Min-joon from the South Korean TV show My Love from the Star which was tremendously popular in China in 2013.

毒舌 [dú shé]: [Having an] acid tongue; to be inclined to be make acerbic comments that are likely to hurt people’s feelings.

斷眉 [duàn méi]: Broken eyebrow. This Internet slang term is an affectionate nickname for Charlie Puth. 

段子手 [duàn zi shǒu]: Internet joke or quip writer. 

Duang [duāng]: Onomatopoeia similar to “ta-da”. This Internet slang term originally went viral to poke fun at Cheng Long aka Jackie Chan’s shampoo commercial scandal. The function of this term has evolved. It is now used to emphasize and to ridicule.

懟 [duǐ]: 1. To inveigh against [someone]. 2. To debate with [someone]. 

剁手族 [duò shǒu zú]: Hand-chopping gang. People whose obsessive online shopping sprees result in long bills. In hindsight, they are so guilty that they want to chop off their own hands to prevent themselves from placing orders online.  

對方不想和你說話並向你扔了一隻狗 [duì fāng bù xiǎng hé nǐ shuō huà bìng xiàng nǐ rēng le yì zhī gǒu]: The other party didn’t want to talk to you and threw a dog at you. This Internet slang term went popular in April, 2016 as a reference to the Reject Message notification on WeChat. The dog is an emoticon sent by one party of the chat after rejecting the message. Rejection of WeChat messages is usually caused by dissatisfaction of the other party’s opinions or communication styles. This meme has witnessed a variety of permutations starting with “The other party doesn’t want to talk to you and…”

E

嗯=恩[en]: An utterance particle often used for confirmation in online chatting. It can also be used to imply a lack of interest in continuing the conversation. 

嗯嗯 [en en]: An enthusiastic way of showing confirmation.

2=二 [èr]: Silly, inane.

E神 [E shén]: E+deity. A nickname for Eason Chan, a Hong Kong singer, because it sounds like “Eason.”

2B/二逼 [èr bī]: 1. Idiotic, stupid, dumb. 2. Dumbass, airhead, goof.

二逼青年歡樂多 [èr bī qīng nián huān lè duō]: <Expression> 2B (silly) young people have lots of fun.

二哈 [èr hā]: Silly+Ha. Silly husky. This Internet slang term is an affectionate nickname for pet huskies.

二貨 [èr huò]: Dumbass (usually used affectionately).

233 [èr sān sān]: LOL. This number series was originally a code for a laugh emoticon on Chinese Internet forum Mop.com. Internet users are free to add as many 3s as they want, such as 233333333333333.

F

發糖 [fā táng]: To give out candies. To display affection in public or sharing details about their love. It is a positive term.

飯 [fàn]: Fan. The pinyin pronunciation of the Chinese character “rice” looks like the English word “fan.”

反雞湯 [fǎn jī tāng]: Counter chicken soup, as the opposite of “chicken soup” i.e. motivational stories, quotes, etc. Counter chicken soup makes the most of black humor and is commonly used for self-disparaging thinking or destroying others’ potential and self-esteem.

飯拍 [fàn pāi]: Fan-shot. (Of videos) shot by fans.

翻牌 [fān pái]: To flip the name plates. In ancient China, the emperor chose who to serve him at night by flipping the name plates of consorts. It is now a metaphor for being responded by someone you admire (such as your favorite star) on Weibo or being chosen to meet or interact with him or her.

翻墻 [fān qiáng]: To climb over the Great Firewall. To circumvent China’s Internet censorship system to access blocked overseas websites.  

飯制 [fàn zhì]: Fan-made.

反射弧過長 [fǎn shè hú guò cháng]: <Expression> The reflex arc is too long. Slow reflexes/response. This Internet slang term is used to describe the situation where it took someone a while to discover or realize something.

飯隨愛豆 [fàn suí ài dòu]: <Expression> The fans and their idols share similar qualities (usually in terms of personality and interests).

放大招 [fàng dà zhāo]: To roll out a significant gambit. To make a big and possibly risky move to achieve the desired result.

放飛自我 [fàng fēi zì wǒ]: <Expression> Allow oneself to take off. This Internet slang term is used humorously to describe someone who behaves with careless abandon. It can be either positive or negative.

放開他, 讓我來 [fàng kai tā, range won lái]: Get your hands off him, let me handle this. Originally a cliche line asking the kidnapper to release the hostage, this Internet slang term is now used to humorously express the desire to hug or kiss one’s favorite star.

放空 [fàng kōng]: To become mentally remote, to space out; to empty one’s mind.

房奴 [fáng nú]: Home mortgage slave.

反轉 [fǎn zhuǎn]: Turnover, an abrupt change; a reversal.

廢柴 [fèi chái]: Trashy+firewood. Loser. Schmuck. This Internet slang term describes a loser or worthless person who has the potential to be rich and realize his or her dreams one day.

粉木耳 [fěn mù ěr]: Pink fungus. A sexist, derogatory, and misogynic term for a virgin’s vagina. 

分分鐘 [fēn fēn zhōng]: Literally “every minute”, this Internet slang term means “instantly.”

鳳凰男 [fèng huáng nán]: Phoenix man. This Internet slang term refers to self-made men of humble roots. This group has been widely discussed because of their marital conflicts typically with “peacock women” and their emotional enmeshment with their families of origin. The implication is negative.

風中凌亂 [fēng zhōng líng luàn]: <Expression> Disheveled in the wind. This expression is used to describe extreme shock or embarrassment. 

富二代 [fù èr dài]: Literally “the rich second generation”, the children of wealthy parents. This term is often used sarcastically by the working class.

付蘭蘭 [fù lán lán]: Fu Lanlan or Rotten Lanlan. This Internet slang term is an affectionate nickname for James Franco because it sounds like his last name. “Lanlan” is traditionally a female name and 腐 [fǔ] as an Internet slang term means “obsessed with bromance or romance between two young men .”

腐蘭蘭 [fǔ lán lán]: Fu Lanlan or Rotten Lanlan. This Internet slang term is an affectionate nickname for James Franco because it sounds like his last name. “Lanlan” is traditionally a female name and 腐 [fǔ] as an Internet slang term means “obsessed with bromance or romance between two young men .”

福利 [fú lì]:  Perks, giveaways. This Internet slang term is used to describe the benefits or gifts received for carrying certain identities.

負能量 [fù néng liàng]: Negative energy. People or things that are of or cause toxic emotions like excessive and/or unnecessary guilt, shame, anger, self-loathing, depression, regret, bitterness, jealousy, and resentment. Negative energy saps people of their motivation and strength.

腐女 [fǔ nǚ]: Rotten+female. This Internet slang term originated from ふじょし [fujoshi, readers of male-male romance narratives]. In China, it refers to female consumers of TV shows, movies, novels, etc. about BL [Boys’ Love] aka emotional (and sexual) intimacy among young men.

浮雲 [fú yún]: Literally “floating clouds”, this slang term is often used to describe something unimportant and negligible.

G

尬聊 [gà liáo]: Embarrassment+chat. To have an awkward and hilarious conversation usually because the people don’t see eye to eye.

盖楼 [gài lóu]: v. To build a building. (Of people) to reply to an Internet post and hence create a long Internet thread. 

干 [gàn]: 1. To fuck [someone]. 2. <Expletive> Fuck, shit.

尷尬癌 [gān gà ái]: Chagrin+cancer. This Internet slang term is used in the context of “I am going to have embarrassment syndrome/cancer” to describe a situation where one feels or is going to feel seriously abashed, usually because what other people have done.

尷尬癥 [gān gà zhèng]: Embarrassment+ syndrome. This Internet slang term is used in the context of “I am going to have embarrassment syndrome/cancer” to describe a situation where one feels or is going to feel seriously abashed, usually because what other people have done.

感覺身體被掏空 [gǎn jué shēn tǐ bèi tāo kōng]: <Expression> [I] feel the insides of my body were scooped out. I feel so drained. This Internet slang term is used to describe fatigue and depression. For example, you can use it to describe how you feel when your boss incessantly asks you to work overtime.

感覺自己萌萌噠 [gǎn jué zì jǐ méng méng da]: <Expression> [I] feel that [I] am such a peach. This Internet slang phrase went popular recently as a way of complimenting oneself or others for being adorable, playing cute, or doing funny things.

乾貨 [gān huò]: Dry+goods. Originated from the old-school robber vernacular referring to valuables, this Internet slang term now refers to valuable information or helpful advice.

乾了這碗毒雞湯 [gān le zhè wǎn dú jī tāng]: <Expression> Drink up this bowl of poisonous chicken soup. To swallow the hard truth. To swallow the bitter pill. This invitation is used before pointing out the poignant reality or harsh-sounding advice and asking the audience to accept it.

高大上 [gāo dà shàng]=高端大氣上檔次 [gāo duān dà qì shàng dǎng cì]: High-end, stylish, and classy. 

高端黑 [gāo duān hēi]: Literally “high-end black,” this Internet slang term means to insinuate one’s contempt or disapproval in a humorous way. In Chinese, 黑 [hēi] “black” also means “to put [someone] down, to mock, or to vilify.”

高仿號 [gāo fǎng hào]: High+imitate+account. Weibo accounts that pretend to be owned by celebrities in order to attract followers. Such accounts often steal celebrities’ pictures and imitate their writing styles. Oversharing is another common weakness among those fake accounts. When an celebrity posts weibos too often or displays qualities that are little known to the public on Weibo, their fans will also quip that those celebrities’ weibo accounts are fakes.

高富帥 [gāo fù shuài]: Tall, rich, and handsome. A popular Internet slang term referring to the stereotypical ideal boyfriend or husband in contemporary Chinese society. Its opposite is “short, ugly, and poor”.

搞基 [gǎo jī]: Play+gay. This Internet slang term means “to have a homosexual relationship. However, it often humorously refers to being close to friends of the same sex.

高冷 [gāo lěng]: Proud and detached. This Internet slang term is often used to describe someone who is mature, calm, reserved, stern, and aloof. Those qualities can be either enigmatic or annoying, depending on how much you like the person. Sometimes the term is a euphemism for “you cocky bastard”.

高司令 [gāo sī lìng]: Commander Gao. This Internet slang term is a nickname for Ryan Gosling because it sounds like the Chinese translation of his last name: 高斯林 [gāo sī lín].

高手在民間 [gāo shǒu zài mín jiān]: <Expression> The maven is among the folks. This sentence is often used to describe the average Chinese people who are capable of jaw-dropping stunts.

gc=g潮 [g cháo]=高潮 [gāo cháo]: Climax. The letter g is used to replace 高 [gāo]. Although 高潮 [gāo cháo] also means “orgasm,” this Internet slang term is not necessarily used in a sexual context. Often it simply means “the funniest part” or “the most unexpected part.”

攻 [gōng]: The attacker or the more active person, such as the one that penetrates, in gay sex.

公知 [gōng zhī]: Bogus experts. Although it is short for 公共知識分子 [gōng gòng zhī shí fèn zǐ] “public intellectual,” this coinage is often a pejorative term for rabble-rousers who seek support on social media by appealing to popular desires and prejudices.

公主病 [gōng zhǔ bìng]: The princess syndrome. This negative Internet slang term is used to describe women who are high-maintenance and demand to be treated like a princess. They are self-centered, temperamental, needy, attention-seeking, and often fall victim to consumerism.

狗糧 [gǒu liáng]: Dog food. Single people’s self-pity triggered by public displays of affection by couples online or offline.

狗帶 [gǒu dài]: Dog leash. The Internet term sounds like “go die” in English and serves as an expletive.

狗血 [gǒu xiě]: Of, Dog+blood. 1) Since dog blood was often used for exorcism in Hong Kong horror film scenes, it became an Internet meme to describe trite and highly predictable movie or TV drama scenes; 2) of, relating to ludirously unrealistic movie or TV drama scenes; 3) of, relating to, or characterized by schmaltz, dramatized sentimentalism, as in TV shows and movies; 4) of, relating to life events that are ridiculous and infuriating.

哥 [gē]: Brother, oppa. This is a comic way for a guy to refer to himself with a slight sense of superiority.

割 [gē]: Cut. This Internet slang term is widely used on The Encyclopedia of Awkwardness, a Chinese humor website, to indicate the transition from background information to the main part of the joke.

隔壁老王 [gé bì lǎo wáng]: Next door+Old Wang. Mr. Wang who lives next door. This Internet slang term has two meanings: 1) The secret lover of one’s wife. 2) Someone else’s husband whom a woman often deems better than her own. She often annoyingly compares her own husband with that alpha male neighbor/friend/acquaintance hoping to inspire the husband to catch up with the “role model.”

給力 [gěi lì]: Gelivable. A Chinese Internet slang term which means cool, empowering, exciting or delightful. This term can be either positive or sarcastic. 

哏 [gén]=梗 [gěng]: Punch line, joke. This Internet slang term originally comes from Xiangsheng aka Crosstalk, a Chinese comedic performance, but it is made popular online through Taiwanese talk shows like Kangxi Lai Le aka Kangsi Coming.

耿直 [gěng zhí]: Candid, honest and outspoken, not worried about one’s own image or others’ feelings. This Internet slang term can be either positive or negative.

葛優癱 [gě yōu tān]: Ge You slouch. This Internet slang term referring to the sitting posture of actor Ge You’s role in the classic sitcom I Love My Family (1993-1994). It became popular in summer 2016 to describe how people relax in the sweltering heat.

各種 [gè zhǒng]: All kinds of. This Internet slang term is usually followed by an adjective.

怪我咯 [guài wǒ lo]: <Expression> My bad? So you think it is my fault? The person who uses this Internet slang term usually doesn’t think he or she is to blame.

灌水 [guàn shuǐ]: Literally “to irrigate,” this Internet slang term is a metaphor for posting tasteless messages online.

鬼畜 [guǐ chù]: Ghost+beast. To inflict suffering. Originally an ACG term, this neologism often refers to a video editing technique that pieces together dialogue and background music for humorous value. Some sounds are looped at a high speed, which might cause discomfort.

跪了 [guì le]: <Expression> I’m on my knees. This expression is used to show admiration for someone or something. Humor is often involved in the usage. It can be an alternative for “I’m speechless.”

閨蜜 [guī mì]: Lady’s chamber+honey. A woman’s female bosom friend, confidant, BFF, bestie.

貴圈真亂 [guì quān zhēn luàn]: <Expression> Your distinguished field is so chaotic. This Internet slang term is often used to describe the entertainment industry which is believed to be fraught with unspoken rules regarding power struggle for fame and fortune.

跪舔 [guì tiǎn]: Kneel+lick. To suck up to someone; to treat someone with a servile attitude; to blindly admire someone or something. This Internet slang term also humorously describes one’s fervent admiration for someone or something.

鬼知道我經歷了什麼 [guǐ zhī dào wǒ jīng lì le shén me]: <Expression> The ghost knows what I went through. God knows what I went through. This expression was first made popular by swimmer Fu Yuanhui during the 2016 Rio Olympics when she described her challenging training experiences. She used another Internet slang term 洪荒之力 [hóng huāng zhī lì] “preternatural power” in the interview. Her candid and humorous replies made her an Internet sensation.

滾床單 [gǔn chuáng dān]: Roll+bed sheets. Originating from a sexist belief in Northeast China that having a little boy roll on a wedding bed will help the couple conceive sons, this Internet slang term now refers to having sex.

H

哈比人 [hā bǐ rén]: The Hobbits. This Internet slang term describes short people in a humorous or affectionate way.

壕 [háo]=土豪 [tǔ háo]: 1) Rich people. 2)  Rich, luxurious. Sometimes this Internet slang term indicates a sense of contempt for the rich people who are uneducated and ill-mannered.

好單純好不做作 [hǎo dān chún hǎo bú zuò zuò]: <Expression> So innocent, so unpretentious. This Internet meme was made popular by vlogger @谷阿莫 in his synopses of movies and TV series. This term is usually used to explain the reason why the male lead fell in love with the female lead.

好方 [hǎo fāng]: So square. This Internet slang term is a humorous way of saying 好慌 [hǎo huāng] “so nervous.”

好奇寶寶[háo qí bǎo bao]: Curious baby. This Internet slang term is often used to describe an adult (often one’s idol) of boundless curiosity. The childlike quality is celebrated and adored.

嗨p [hāi p]: Hi+P. This Internet slang term is a phonetic deviation of “happy.”

孩紙 [hái zhǐ]: Child. A humorous alternative of 孩子 [hái zi] mimicking the Taiwanese dialect. 

還能不能愉快地玩耍了 [hái néng bù néng yú kuài de wán shuǎ le]: <Expression> Can [we] still happily play together? Originally from an elementary school student’s essay, this Internet phrase and its many variations (e.g. “Can we still chat gleefully?”) are often used to express a wide range of emotions, such as jealousy, shock, embarrassment, discontent, and disgust. For example, when a friend is oversharing pictures of his or her lavish lifestyles which were afforded by their parents, you may attempt to leave a comment and complain about the braggart using the expression.

還有這種操作 [hái yǒu zhè zhǒng cāo zuò]: <Gaming terminology> <Expression> This gambit exists?! An equivalent of “Didn’t see this coming.” This expression recently replaced 黑人問號 [hēi rén wèn hào] to express one’s confusion, amazement, or shock.

汗 [hàn]: To sweat, usually out of embarrassment.

呵呵噠 [hē hē da]: To smirk in a cute way. This Internet slang term is used to convey derision in a childlike manner. 

嘿嘿嘿 [hēi hēi hēi]: Hehehe. Lewd laughter. A euphemism for lovemaking used by Taiwanese entertainer Fei Yu-ching in one of his sex jokes on TV.

黑花 [hēi huā]: Black+flower. Hey Wow. This Internet slang term is the name of Wallace Chung’s stuffed panda doll aka his “daughter.” Wallace Chung later developed spin-offs like caps, shoes, dolls, backpacks, etc. based on the image of Hey Wow.

黑草 [hēi cǎo]: Black+grass. This Internet slang term refers to Wallace Chung’s male fans.

何棄療 [hé qì liáo]: <Expression> Short for 為何放棄治療 [wèi hé fàng qì zhì liáo] “Why forgo treatment [for your insanity]”, this expression is for teasing others or mocking oneself.

黑 [hēi]: To blacken. This Internet slang term means to mock or tease a friend or to bash, malign, or vilify one’s enemy.

黑科技 [hēi kē jì]: Black technology. This term first appeared in フルメタル・パニックor Full Metal Panic!, a series of light novels written by Shoji Gatoh and illustrated by Shiki Douji, and referred to technology that is far more advanced than those of the real world. As a Chinese Internet slang term, it describes awe-inspiring technology that is beyond the understanding of the average people. Sometimes this term is used sarcastically.

黑歷史 [hēi lì shǐ]: Black+history. One’s disgraceful past. Sometimes it is used humorously to describe one’s embarrassing experiences when he or she was a rookie.

黑木耳 [hēi mù ěr]: Black fungus. A sexist, derogatory, and misogynistic Internet slang term for the vagina of a woman with rich sexual experience. 

黑人問號 [hēi rén wèn hào]: Black person+question marks. This Internet slang term derives from pictures of Nicholas Aaron “Nick” Young, an NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers, with question marks added. This meme is used when you are perplexed, shocked, or speechless. ​​​​

-_-||=黑線 [hēi xiàn]: Black lines. The emoticon is used to indicate embarrassment.

黑子 [hēi zi]: Black mole/sunspot. As an Internet slang term, it refers to web users who vilify a celebrity on the Internet.

洪荒之力 [hóng huāng zhī lì]: Primeval power. Catastrophically strong physical strength. This Internet slang term came into popularity because of the 2015 TV drama The Journey of Flower in which the character Hua Qiangu aka Demon God has the preternatural, catastrophic power. Currently the meme is used to describe one’s physical strength or one’s urge to do something.

轟趴 [hōng pā]: Bomb+lie on one’s stomach. Home party. This Internet slang term is a translation of the English term “home party” because 轟 [hōng] sounds like “home” and 趴 [pā] sounds like “party.”

花癡 [huā chī]=HC: Flower+idiot. To drool over [someone].

畫風 [huà fēng]: Painting style. This Internet slang term is often used to describe one’s style in appearance and behavior or the vibes in an environment. 

畫風突變 [huà fēng tū biàn]: <Expression> A sudden change in the painting style. This Internet slang term is often used to accentuate the contrast between one’s responses in different situations. It also refers to an unexpected twist in the story. Humor is often involved in the context where this term is applied.

華麗麗 [huá lì lì]: Gorgeous. The Internet slang term is often used in the phrase “the gorgeous division line” to separate different sections of an article. Sometimes the adjective is used sarcastically.

花式虐狗 [huā shì nüè gǒu]: Fancy+abuse+dogs. To hurt the feelings of single people [single dogs] knowingly or unknowingly through myriad forms of public display of affection.

花式秀恩愛 [huā shì xiù ēn ài]: To make a fancy display of the intimacy between a couple. This Internet slang term is created from the perspective of single people who feel left out in the face of couples especially on Valentine’s Day.

活捉一只 [huó zhuō yì zhī]: To catch a [cute person, animal, or thing] alive. This Internet slang term is often used humorously to describe a happy encounter or discovery online or offline.

灰常 [huī cháng]: Gray+usual. Very, extremely. This Internet slang term is a humorous way of saying 非常 [fēi cháng] “very” with a Fujian accent. 

會聊天 [huì liáo tiān]: To know how to chat. A conversationalist who is polite, respectful, understanding, and interesting is touted as someone who knows how to chat. This Internet slang term celebrates one’s high EQ. In the Chinese Internet culture, a high IQ is predominately defined as being polite and considerate of others.

毀三觀 [huǐ sān guān]: <Expression> Destroy+three+views. To have one’s world view, life philosophy, and value system seriously challenged by someone or something. This Internet slang term is often used to criticize something or someone that is immoral or doesn’t make sense.

毀童年 [huǐ tóng nián]: Destroy+childhood. (Of things) leading to the disillusionment about childhood. This Internet slang term is often used to describe a parody of childhood idols or favorites.

回憶殺 [huí yì shā]: Memory+kill. To reminisce about the past emotionally.

霍比特人 [huò bǐ tè rén]: The Hobbits. This Internet slang term describes short people in a humorous or affectionate way.

活久見 [huó jiǔ jiàn]: <Expression> Live+long+see. If you live long enough, you will be able to witness all kinds of things (however unbelievable or bizarre they are).

火星哥 [huǒ xīng gē]: Brother Mars. This Internet slang term is an affectionate nickname for Bruno Mars.

I

IP: Intellectual property. As an Internet slang term, it usually refers to literary property, the literary works generally covered by copyright but also an associated set of property rights. Currently, the term is often used to describe Chinese Internet novels adapted into movies or TV dramas and a series of related products.

J

酱 [jiàng]: Chan. This word is added after a child’s name or a close friend’s name to show affection in Japanese, but Chinese young people (especially Japanese culture lovers) like using the word too.

攪基 [jiǎo jī]: To display homosexuality. To develop romantic relationships as homosexuals.

教科書般 [jiào kē shū bān]: Textbook. Meeting the standards set by authorities or experts in the field. 

嬌羞 [jiāo xiū]: Bashful. This Internet slang term is often used humorously to describe males.

鷄凍 [jī dòng]: Chicken+frozen. This Internet slang term and 激動 [jī dòng] “excited” are homophones and synonyms.

姐 [jiě]: Older sister. This is a comic way for a guy to refer to himself with a slight sense of superiority.

基佬 [jī lǎo]: A gay person, a homosexual man. Contingent on the context, this Internet slang term can be either neutral or pejorative.

吉米肥倫秀 [jí mǐ féi lún xiù]: Jimmy+fat+[Fal]lon+show. This Internet slang term is a chirpy translation of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. However, 肥倫 [féi lún] “Fatlon” is used only because it sounds similar with “Fallon” but it is not a nickname for the host himself. The alternative translations include 肥倫秀 [féi lún xiù] “Fatlon Show” and 吉米肥倫今夜秀 [jí mǐ féi lún jīn yè xiù] “Jimmy Fatlon Tonight Show.”

吉米雞毛秀 [jí mǐ jī máo xiù]: Jimmy+Chicken feather+show. This Internet slang term is a chirpy translation of Jimmy Kimmel Live! because 雞毛 [jī máo] “chicken feather” sounds like “Kimmel.” However, 雞毛 [jī máo] “chicken feather” is a not a nickname for Jimmy Kimmel. A shorter translation of the show name is 雞毛秀 [jī máo xiù] “Chicken Feather Show.”

雞湯 [jī tāng]: Chicken soup. Originating from the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series which consist of inspirational stories about ordinary people’s lives, this Internet slang term refers to inspirational stories, quotes, and maxims. Sometimes the term is used sarcastically. 

基友 [jī yǒu]: Literally “gay friends”, this term means “close friends of the same sex.”

簡約時尚國際范 [jiǎn yuān shí shàng guó jì fàn]: Simple, fashionable, and showing the swagger of a global citizen. 

醬紫 [jiàng zǐ]: Like this. In this way. A humorous alternative of 这样子 [zhè yàng zi] mimicking the Taiwanese accent to act cute.

鍵盤俠 [jiàn pán xiá]: Keyboard+knight-errant. People who like going on a rant in online communication. They are cynical and judgmental without the ability to make a difference through action.

介 [jiè]: This. A humorous alternative of 这 [zhè] mimicking Southern Chinese dialects.

節操 [jié cāo]: Scruples, moral principles, integrity.This slang term is often used in teasing and joking.

節操掉了一地 [jié cāo diào le yí dì]: <Expression> Integrity is scattered all over the floor. This Internet slang term often describes people who do unconventional things that are not necessarily unethical. Considered reckless, silly or even brash by the outsiders, those “out-of-place” acts are usually done out of passion, such as what fans would do for idols or what an infatuated person would do for his or her crush.

解鎖技能 [jiě suǒ jì néng]: Unlock+skill. To pick up a new skill. 

精分 [jīng fēn]: Short for 精神分裂 [jīng shén fēn liè] schizophrenia. As an Internet slang term, it means showing two or more personalities or being dazzled by a fickle and annoying person or unexpected changes. It is often used humorously.

靜靜的美男子 [jìng jìng de měi nán zǐ]: A quiet, handsome man. Such a man keeps a low profile but draws everyone’s attention. 

金拱門 [jīn gǒng mén]: The golden arched door. This Internet slang term is the new official Chinese name of McDonald’s.

禁慾系 [jìn yù xì]: Abstinent+sect. This Internet slang term describes the nice-looking and refined heterosexual male celebrities whose aloofness and reticence make them look as if they were not interested in sex.

囧 [jiǒng]: Embarrassed, shocked, amused, or stupefied. This Chinese character resembles a gloomy face.

囧雪诺 [jiǒng xuě nuò]: Awkward+Snow. This Internet slang term is an affectionate nickname for Jon Snow, a character in Game of Thrones, because of 囧 [jiǒng] sounds like “Jon.”

囧司徒 [jiǒng sī tú]: Awkward+Situ [Chinese surname]. This Internet slang term is a nickname for Jon Stewart due to similar pronunciation.

囧瑟夫 [jiǒng sè fū]: Awkward+[Jo]seph. This Internet slang term is an affectionate nickname for Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt, because his facial features look like the Chinese Internet slang term 囧 [jiǒng] “awkward.”

既視感 [jì shì gǎn]: Originally きしかん in Japanese meaning “déjà vu”, the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time. As an Internet slang term, it simply means “[someone or something] looks like/feels like…”

糾結 [jiū jié]: Struggle to find an answer. Hesitated. Tormented.

九零後 [jiǔ líng hòu]: The Post-’90 or the Post-1990. People born between 1990 and 1999 in mainland China.

機智如我 [jī zhì rú wǒ]: Witty like me. This Internet slang term is used to precede crediting oneself with accomplishing a task or avoiding a contretemps. This term is often used ironically.

卷福 [juǎn fú]: Curly+Holmes. This Internet slang term is a nickname for Benedict Cumberbatch because of his curly hair and his character Sherlock Holmes.

菊花 [jú huā]:  Literally “chrysanthemum”, this slang term refers to the anus.

劇情反轉 [jù qíng fǎn zhuǎn] Plot twist. A plot twist is an unexpected change in the storyline of a novel, film, television series, comic, video game, news story, etc.

K

開封菜 [kāi fēng cài]: The Kaifeng cuisine. This Internet slang term is a humorous moniker for KFC, because they share the acronym.

開掛 [kāi guà]: Originally referring to playing dirty in video games through a cheat code or a cheat cartridge, this Internet slang term is an alternative way of saying “[someone] is on fire/doing an incredibly great job as if she or he were cheating.”

看臉的世界 [kàn liǎn de shì jiè]: Face-looking world. A world that prioritizes appearance. A world that favors good appearance. This Internet slang term is sometimes an example of the fundamental attribution error: Attributing personal setbacks to the cultural obsession with appearance.

抗日神劇 [kàng rì shén jù]: Epic dramas of the War of Resistance against Japan. This Internet slang term mocks TV dramas that blend history with fantasy to over-glorify the Chinese army in the War of Resistance against Japan. Such dramas are widely criticized by both the media and Internet users for distorting history.

靠 [kào]: <Expletive> Fuck. 

科科 [kē kē]: Taiwanese Internet slang term meaning 呵呵 [hē hē], the sound of a smirk or an adorable giggle. Also, the term recently became the nickname of Chinese table tennis player Zhang Jike.

科普 [kē pǔ]: To popularize science. As an Internet meme, it means to explain details about something to outsiders or nonfans.

坑爹 [kēng diē]: <Expletive> Literally “tricking (your) daddy”, meaning “Are you freaking kidding me?” When feeling angry, Chinese people like calling themselves “Daddy” or “Mom” to exude a sense of superiority to the listener.

孔雀女 [kǒng què nǚ]: Peacock woman. This Internet slang term refers to women raised in well-off families in the cities. This group has been widely discussed because of their marital conflicts typically with “phoenix men” on cultural differences and financial matters. The implication is negative.

釦釦熊 [kòu kòu xióng]: Button+button+bear. This Internet slang term is a nickname for Stephen Colbert because it sounds like his last name “Colbert.”

L

拉仇恨 [lā chóu hèn]: Pull+hatred. <Gaming terminology> To attract the monsters to attack oneself. As an Internet slang term, it means to deliberately boast or to say potentially offensive things. It typically refers to boasting in ways that could induce jealousy.

來啊，互相傷害啊 [lái a, hù xiāng shāng hài a]: <Expression> Come on, let’s hurt each other. At first glance, this expression is used to provoke a quarrel, but more often than not, it serves to humorously comment on a potentially combative situation.

辣雞 [là jī]: Spicy chicken. This Internet slang term is a humorous way of saying 垃圾 [lā ji] “trash, douchebags, contemptible people.”

拉拉 [lā lā]: Hold+hands. Lesbian.  

懶癌 [lǎn ái]: Laziness cancer. This Internet term is used to describe one’s procrastination or slothfulness.

浪 [làng]: To play in an unrestrained way. Sometimes it means to be promiscuous, to fool around.

狼民 [láng mín]: Wolf+people. Lustful citizens. A nickname for Wallace Chung’s fans 良民 “good citizens”. The nickname was created based on some Wallace fans’ unapologetic vehement admiration for their idol.

藍瘦香菇 [lán shòu xiāng gū]: Blue+slim+shiitake mushroom. This Internet slang term is how a 24-year-old man from Nanning, Guangxi said 難受想哭 [nán shòu xiǎng kū] “Sad, want to cry” in the Nanning dialect. His teary monologue made him an Internet sensation overnight.

老幹部 [lǎo gàn bu]: Old cadres. An “old cadre” is a male actor whose gravitas in conduct and speech seems a little outdated but is still very adorable for his crazy female fans.

勞模姐 [láo mó jiě]: Model worker+ sister. Sister model worker. This Internet slang term is an affectionate nickname for Jessica Chastain to show the fans’ admiration for her productivity and the quality of her works.  

老司機 [lǎo sī jī]: The old driver. The Internet slang term started off referring to a person who likes talking dirty. The Internet meme comes from “老司機，嗚嗚嗚/污污污”: Old driver, toot, toot, toot/dirty dirty dirty.” “Toot” and “dirty” are homophones. Later, another meaning of this term emerged: a person who is experienced in something. 

勞資 [láo zī]: Labor+capital. I. This Internet slang term means 老子 [lǎo zi] “I (used jocularly and arrogantly)” because they sound similar.

雷 [léi]: To be shocked, as if shocked by thunder.

淚奔 [lèi bēn]: Crying and running away. This Internet slang term is often used to describe a strong reaction to something that’s shocking, exhilarating, embarrassing, moving, or sad.

累覺不愛 [lèi jué bú ài]: <Expression> So tired that I feel I will not fall in love anymore.

雷人 [léi rén]: Shocking, striking, unbelievable.

蕾絲邊 [léi sī biān]: Lace border. Lesbian.  

冷笑話 [lěng xiào huà]: Cold joke. Similar to brain teasers, cold jokes are funny because they urge the listeners to think outside the box. Homophones, Chinese words with multiple meanings, and linguistic deviations like personification are often included in cold jokes.

臉大 [liǎn dà]: Big-faced. This Internet slang term is used to criticize someone for being brazen or narcissistic.

亮點 [liàng diǎn]: Highlights, usually cranky or funny.

亮了 [liàng le]: To light up, to become the highlight, to grab attention. This phrase is often used to stress something funny, shocking, or unique.

良民 [liáng mín]=LM: Wallace Chung aka Zhong Hanliang’s fans—Liang’s people aka good citizens. Their motto is: Get closer to his [Wallace Chung’s] works; stay farther away from his personal life.

亮瞎我的鈦合金狗眼 [liàng xiā wǒ de tài hé jīn gǒu yǎn]: <Expression> So bright that it blinds my titanium alloy dog eyes. This expression describes something that’s extremely mind-blowing, mind-boggling, or shocking.

聊聊人生 [liáo liáo rén shēng]: To chat about life, a humorous euphemism for “I disagree,” “Are you kidding me,” and “Are you out of your mind.” This Internet slang term is used when you find people’s words or actions silly or perplexing and you want to tease them a little bit.

撩妹 [liáo mēi]: Titillate+sister. 1) To do something snazzy to attract the female audience’s attention. 2) To hit on a female to steal her heart.

厲害了我的哥 [lì hài le wǒ de gē]: <Expression> Wow you rock, my brother. This Internet slang term came into popularity as a high school student’s comment on the dazzling gaming skills of his military training instructor who caught him playing The King’s Glory on the phone. Instead of confiscating the phone, the instructor unleashed his inner gamer and helped the student win the game. This expression is now used to express astonishment or amazement. The word “brother” is replaced in other contexts to address different people.

厲害了word… [lì hài le word…]: <Expression> An alternative way of 厲害了我的… [lì hài le wǒ de…]. This expression substitutes 我的… [wǒ de…] “my…”with “word”… because of similar pronunciations.

零零后/00后 [líng líng hòu] n. The Post-’00 or the Post-2000. People born between 2000 and 2010 in mainland China.

凌亂 [líng luàn]: Literally “disheveled”, this term describes the state of being extremely shocked and speechless. This term is often used in the phrase 风中凌乱 [fēng zhōng líng luàn] “disheveled in the wind.”

流量小花 [liú liàng xiǎo huā]: Traffic+young man. Female celebrities who have large throngs of fans on social networking as well as video sharing websites. They are hence able to increase website traffic significantly.

流量小生 [liú liàng xiǎo shēng]: Traffic+little flower. Male celebrities who have large throngs of fans on social networking as well as video sharing websites. They are hence able to increase website traffic significantly.

LOL=擼啊擼 [lū a lū]: League of Legends, a multiplayer online video game. The Chinese nickname, literally “stroke and stroke,” has a sexual connotation because of its connection with 擼管 [lū guǎn] stroke+tube [penis] or male masturbation.

low: (Of a person) having no class, unethical, poor, not intelligent, less educated, or less refined. (Of behavior) not decent or not ethical.

lz=樓主 [lóu zhǔ]: Pinyin acronym for 楼主[lóu zhǔ] “building owner”. In Internet forum discussions, this term refers to the author of the first post on a topic on an Internet forum. 

擼 [lū]: To stroke [the penis]. To masturbate. 

路癡 [lù chī]: A person with a poor sense of directions.

擼管 [lū guǎn]: Stroke+tube [penis]. Male masturbation.

路透 [lù tòu]: Street+leak. Though identical with the Chinese translation of Reuters, this Internet slang term refers to spoiler alerts by the fans of celebrities who are working on a reality TV show, movie, etc.

路(人)轉粉 [lù (rén) zhuǎn fěn]: Pedestrian+turn+fan. To change from being a pedestrian [nonfan] to being a fan. This Internet slang term is often used by an entertainer’s new fans to describe their conversion or attitude change.

蘿莉 [luó lì]: Borrowed from the Japanese word “ロリ” and short for “Lolita” in English, this slang term refers to cute little girls.

落水 [luò shuǐ]: To fall into water. A metaphor for becoming Wallace Chung’s fans. 

落水文 [luò shuǐ wén]: n. An essay on falling into water—an essay that a new fan wrote about how he or she became a Wallace fan.

綠茶婊 [lǜ chá biǎo]: Green tea+bitch. An ostensibly graceful and innocent young woman who is actually very calculating. This Internet slang term was created in 2013 to describe models and actresses who lead a dissipated life around the rich and powerful for personal gain.

綠綠 [lǜ lǜ]: Green green. The Muslims.

M

馬 [mǎ]: Short for 馬克 [mǎ kè] “mark, bookmark.”

媽癌 [mā ái]: “Mom cancer”, a behavioral dysfunction in friendship. Suspected of OCD or boundary confusions, such people are overprotective of their friends. E.g. they nag their friends to stay warm in cold weather or to stay out of toxic relationships, though in vain.

媽寶男/女 [mā bǎo nán/nǚ]: “Mommy’s baby boy/girl”, an adult man or woman who is heavily reliant upon the parents financially and/or emotionally. Such people allow the parents to make major life decisions for them, such as decisions about education, career, and marriage.

買家秀 [mǎi jiā xiù]: The customer’s demo. This Internet slang term is often used in a situation where the seller’s demo is in stark contrast to the customer’s.

賣家秀 [mài jiā xiù]: The seller’s demo. This Internet slang term is often used in a situation where the seller’s demo is in stark contrast to the customer’s.

買買買 [mǎi mǎi mǎi]: Buy buy buy! This Internet slang term is often used humorously to convey or provoke a strong desire to splurge.

賣萌 [mài méng]: Literally “to sell cuteness“, this term refers to “acting cute/funny” to amuse people.

馬克 [mǎ kè]: Mark, bookmark [a webpage for later perusal]. 

瑪麗蘇 [mǎ lì sū]: <Fan fiction terminology> Mary Sue, an idealized character. The male equivalent is Gary Stu or Marty Stu. A a poorly developed female character, too perfect and lacking in realism to be interesting.

馬路殺手 [mǎ lù shā shǒu]: Road+killer. This Internet slang term refers to poor drivers. Female drivers are often unfairly labeled as road killers.

媽賣批 [mā mài pī]/mmp/X賣批 [mā mài pī]: <Expletive>This is a sexist expletive phrase from the Chongqing dialect. It means “Your mom is a prostitute.”

媽媽問我為什麼跪著看。。。[mā ma wèn wǒ wèi shén me guì zhe kàn。。。]: Mom asked me why I watch…on my knees. This Internet slang term is used to describe a mind-blowing or mind-boggling video or other content.

貓奴 [māo nú]: Cat+slave. This Internet slang term is a playful nickname for cat owners because they sweat and toil to serve their pet cats. It is often used self-mockingly by cat owners.

Mark: Bookmark

摸頭殺 [mō tóu shā]: Gently caress and stroke the head+kill. The flirting technique of a guy stroking a girl’s head to comfort her. 

某人 [mǒu rén]: Someone you know and/or you love. The Chinese young people like referring to their idol or boyfriend/girlfriend as “someone” in their blog entries or Weibo posts.

魔性 [mó xìng]: Monster+nature. Having a magical pull, captivating. This Internet slang term is sometimes used sarcastically.

MD: <Expletive> [Fuck his] mother’s [vagina]. Fuck.

麼麼噠 [mē mē da]: 麼麼噠 [mē mē da] n. 麼 [mē] is an onomatopoeia that mimics the sound of a gentle kiss aka “mwa,” [or chup in Thai, schmatz in German, mats-muts in Greek, umma in Malayalam, and chu in Japanese]. This Intenernet term imitates the form of 萌萌噠 [méng méng da] and has been a popular way among Chinese young people to show affection. 

霉霉 [méi méi]: Mold Mold or Bummed Bummed. This Internet slang term is a loving nickname for Taylor Swift. Her Chinese fans feel sorry for her because her hits used to peak at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

美眉/MM [měi méi]: Originally this term referred to a pretty young girl, later it was used to call any young girl. MM is the acronym based on the pinyin pronunciation.

妹子 [mèi zi]=妹紙 [mèi zhǐ]: Literally “younger sister”, this term is often used by a guy to refer to a girl younger than him. 妹纸 [mèi zhǐ] is a phonetic deviation that humorously mimics the Northeastern accent.

悶騷 [mēn sāo]: Reserved and even a little boring on the outside, but passionate, charismatic, and even sexy on the inside. People of this kind are usually too shy to show their talkative and talented side in front of strangers.

沒sei了 [méi séi le]: <Expression> Nobody can beat that. This Internet slang term is often used ironically to comment on unique or controversial people or behavior.

沒想到你是這樣的。。。[méi xiǎng dào nǐ shì zhè yàng de…]: <Expression> I didn’t know you were such a… Traditionally this sentence structure is used to chastise someone, but as an Internet slang term, it is used to reveal a little-known trait of someone or something for comic effect. 

萌 [méng]: Cute. This term is adapted from the Japanese word 萌え (moe), which originally means “budding”, but then refers to adoration for fictional characters by Japanese manga fans. In Chinese, this term is used to describe the childlike cuteness.

萌萌噠 [méng méng da]: Criminally cute, cuteness overload.

蒙圈=懵圈 [mēng quān]=懵逼 [mēng bī]: Dumbstruck, dumbfounded, muddled, perplexed.

萌炸 [méng zhà]: Cute+explode. Explosively cute. Cute overload.

秒回 [miǎo huí]:  To reply within a second. To reply promptly.

秒殺 [miǎo shā]: Literally “killed within a second”, this term was borrowed from video games referring to the situation where you are stunned by something ridiculous, embarrassing, and/or unexpected. Sometimes it also means to be defeated by someone instantly.

喵星人 [miāo xīng rén]: Meow star folks. Cats, kittes.

迷弟 [mí dì]: Fan+brother. Male fanatics. Fervent male fans.

迷妹 [mí mèi]: Fan+sister. Female fanatics. Fervent female fans.

明明可以靠脸吃饭, 偏偏要靠才华 [míng míng kě yǐ kào liǎn chī fàn, piān piān yào kào cái huá]: <Expression> [Someone] could have clearly had meals with the face, but he/she chose to do so with talents and skills. “Have meals” means “make a living.” This expression means “[someone] could have made a living easily with his or her good appearance, but he/she insists on utilizing his or her talents and skills.” The expression is used to show recognition of someone’s becoming appearance and volition to learn skills and work hard.

迷之 [mí zhī]=蜜汁 [mì zhī]: Mystical, inexplicable. This Internet slang term sounds like 蜜汁 [mì zhī] “honey+juice” so the latter is often used as an alternative. They are popularly used to point out things that are not obvious or hard to understand, such as dry humor.

母胎SOLO [mǔ tāi SOLO]: Womb+Solo [performance]. (Of a person) single since birth. Derived from the Korean phrase “모태솔로”, this Internet slang term pokes fun at people who have never been in a relationship so that their lives are like solo performances. It is the latest alternative of 單身狗 [dān shēn gǒu] “single dog.”

N

那畫面太美，我不敢看 [nà huà miàn tài měi, wǒ bù gǎn kàn]: <Expression> That image is so beautiful that I dare not look at it. Originally from Cai Yilin aka Jolin Tsai’s 2003 single “Prague Square”, this phrase is often used humorously to criticize something that’s ugly, embarrassing, or unclassy. In other cases, it is used as a compliment.

男閨蜜 [nán guī mì]: A woman’s male confidante.

男神 [nán shén]: A god. This Internet slang term is often used to describe one’s idol or love interest, usually of stunning looks and/or talents. Hyperbole is employed here to show one’s admiration.

男神經 [nán shén jīng]: Male buffoon. Slightly different from 男神 [nán shén] which literally mean “god,” this Internet slang term is saved for your goofy friends or yourself. Although 神經 [shén jīng] is short for 神經病 [shén jīng bìng] “neurotic,” many people won’t feel offended. This Internet slang term tends to be deemed positive for acknowledging a person’s sense of humor.

男友力 [nán yǒu lì]: Boyfriend+strength. The ability of being an ideal boyfriend.

男友力 MAX [nán yǒu lì MAX]: Perfect boyfriend material. This Internet slang term describes both men and women who make a woman feel safe, loved, and happy.

腦補 [nǎo bǔ]: Brain+enrich. Originating from Japanese anime, this Internet slang term means “to imagine and enrich the story wishfully [when reading novels or comics, watching TV series or movies, etc.]”. Originally the imagined scenes were often sexually explicit, but this Internet slang term has now been widely used as a trendy way of saying “imagine” or “visualize” in daily conversations. The visualized or imagined content is often pretty hilarious.

腦殘 [nǎo cán]: Brain+disabled. Literally “brain-damaged”, this slang term is often used to laugh at a person who is ludicrous, dumb, or weird.

腦洞 [nǎo dòng]: Brain+hole. As an Internet slang term, this is a vivid metaphor for imagination or creativity. 腦洞太大 “Having a super big hole in the brain” renders a person amusingly or ridiculously imaginative and creative. Sometimes this term is used sarcastically.

鬧哪樣 [nào nǎ yàng]: <Expression> [What are you] trying to do? 

內個 [nèi ge]: An alternative of 那個 [nà ge] “that one.” A common filler in Mandarin everyday conversations.

內牛滿面 [nèi niú mǎn miàn]: Tears stream down the face. A phonetic deviation of the Chinese idiom 淚流滿面 [lèi liú mǎn miàn]. This slang term is often used to describe excitement rather than sadness.

內心戲 [nèi xīn xì]: The inner drama. This Internet slang term describes the unsaid thoughts and feelings that one has. The inner drama is often communicated through micro-expressions.

娘炮 [niáng pào]: An effeminate man. Dander. This Internet slang term is a sexist term to describe metrosexuals and men with feminine qualities.

碾壓 [niǎn yā]: To mash [someone]. To defeat someone with an obvious advantage in intelligence, wealth, etc. 

你才是。。。你全家都是。。。[nǐ cái shì…nǐ quán jiā dōu shì…]: “You are…your whole family are …” This sentence structure is often used humorously to defend oneself.

你的良心不會痛嗎 [nǐ de liáng xīn bú huì tòng ma]: <Expression> Doesn’t your conscience feel pain? This expression originated from an Internet joke about the bromance between Tang poets Du Fu and Li Bai. The joke claims that Du Fu wrote 12 poems for or about Li Bai, but Li Bai reciprocated with only one poem. The joke writer felt sorry for the “mistreated” Du Fu and questioned Li Bai if he felt guilty for his “cruelty” with the aforementioned expression. Regardless of its original interrogative tone, this expression is now often used humorously to tease someone. 

你还记得大明湖畔的。。。吗 [nǐ hái jì dé dà míng hú pàn de…ma]: <Expression> Do you still remember…by the Daming Lake? This question was originally a line from the 1998 TV show Princess Return Pearl [or My Fair Princess]. Ziwei confronted her birth father Emperor Qianlong, “Do you still remember Xia Yuhe by the Daming Lake?” Xia Yuhe is Ziwei’s mother and Ziwei was born out of wedlock. Now this line is used humorously to remind the listener or reader of something or someone.

尼瑪 [ní mǎ]: <Expletive> Phonetically deviated, this term is a substitute for the curse word 你妈 [nǐ mā] (literally “[fuck] your mom”). This term can be translated as “Darn it” or “Shit.” When being angry, Chinese people like showing disrespect for the other person’s parents and grandparents, unfortunately. Other examples include 你奶奶 [nǐ nǎi nai] [fuck] your paternal grandmother and 你大爷 [nǐ dà ye] [fuck] your uncle.

你妹 [nǐ mèi]: <Expletive> Literally “[Fuck] your sister” which is derived from “Fuck your mother/grandmother/uncle.” 

泥萌 [ní méng]: Mud+cute. You guys. This Internet slang term is a phonetic deviation of 你們 [nǐ men] “you guys.” This term is often used humorously.

你們感受下 [nǐ men gǎn shòu xià]: <Expression> You come get a feel for it. This Internet slang phrase became popular because of being repeatedly used by Chinese Internet celebrity @留一手 who is known for rating selfies voluntarily submitted by Chinese Internet users on Sina Weibo.

逆天改命 [nì tiān gǎi mìng]: <Expression> Defy heaven and change one’s destiny. This expression comes from the TV series Fighter of the Destiny. The protagonist Chen Changsheng is plagued with an incurable illness, fated not to live past the age of twenty. He is therefore determined to find the magic stone that will change his fate.

泥石流 [ní shí liú]: Mud-and-stone flow. Mudflow. This Internet slang also refers to someone who stands out in a field for his or her great sense of humor.

逆天 [nì tiān]: Literally “defy the sky” or “against the Heaven”. This term is used to describe something that’s extremely unusual, creative, or cool, as if it defied the Heaven’s laws.

逆生長 [nì shēng zhǎng]: Reverse+growth. This Internet slang term is used to describe someone whose appearance (almost) does not show signs of aging over a span of years.

逆襲 [nì xí]: To counterattack, to reverse the score, to catch up and eventually taking the lead.

你行你上，不行别瞎BB [nǐ xíng nǐ shàng, bù xíng bié xiā bī bī]: If you can do it then you should go up and do it, otherwise you’d better keep your mouth shut.

你咋不上天呢 [nǐ zǎ bú shàng tiān ne]: <Expression> Why don’t you just go up into the sky? You might say that to a person who is full of hot air or feels too good about himself or herself. Hopefully your sarcasm will bring them down to earth

你這是在搞事情 [nǐ zhè shì zài gǎo shì qing]: <Expression> You are causing trouble for me. Actor Chen He frequently used this expression on the Chinese version of Running Man. Now this expression is used to vent or joke about unexpected or undesirable situations.

牛逼/牛B/NB [niú bī]: Ox+vagina. Awesome. This term is slightly vulgar.

牛X [niú chā]: Ox+X [vagina]. Awesome. This term is slightly vulgar.

牛人 [niú rén]: Legendary person, hot shot. A person who said or did amazing or funny things.

暖男 [nuǎn nán]: A man with a heartwarming aura. Such a man is considerate, thoughtful, and evokes positive feelings among friends and family. His “family guy” personality makes him stand out as an ideal boyfriend or husband.

虐腹 [nüè fù]: Abuse+abdomen. To do intense abs workouts, especially to develop a visible Adonis belt or a V-shaped core.

虐狗 [nüè gǒu]: To abuse [single] dogs. To deliberately or unknowingly tease or hurt the single people through public displays of affection online or offline.

虐心 [nüè xīn]: Abuse+heart. Heart-wrenching.

女司機 [nǚ sī jī]: Female driver. This Internet slang term indicates the prejudice that female drivers have poor driving skills.

女同 [nǚ tóng]: Female+same. Lesbian. 

XX虐我千百遍，我待XX如初戀 [XX nüè wǒ qiān bǎi biàn, wǒ dài XX rú chū liàn]: <Expression> “XX tortured me a million times, I (still) treat XX like my first valentine.” This sentence can be used to describe someone or something that you love fervently even though he/she/it disappoints you many times.

怒刷存在感 [nù shuā cún zài gǎn]: <Expression> Vigorously+swipe+[the] presence [card]. To have a strong presence. To stand out and impress others. This Internet slang term is sometimes used sarcastically.

女漢子 [nǚ hàn zi]: Literally “manly woman”, this trending but slightly sexist Internet slang term refers to women who look feminine on the outside but are 100% men on the inside. These women are not overtly concerned about their demeanor. They are cheerful, candid, optimistic, capable of bearing responsibility, and have a strong heart. Their aura is relatively stronger thereby being more likely to influence others.

女神 [nǚ shén]: A goddess. This Internet slang term is often used to describe one’s idol or love interest, usually of stunning looks and/or talents. Hyperbole is employed here to show one’s admiration.

女神經 [nǚ shén jīng]: Female buffoon. Slightly different from 女神 [nǚ shén] which literally means “goddess,“ this Internet slang term is saved for your goofy friends or yourself. Although 神經 [shén jīng] is short for 神經病 [shén jīng bìng] “neurotic,” many people won’t feel offended. This Internet slang term tends to be deemed positive for acknowledging a person’s sense of humor.

O

orz: Pronounced as it is in English, this Internet slang term is a posture emoticon from Japan meaning “to worship” as it looks like a person kneeling down on the floor and kowtow-ing.

OS: Overlapping sound, monologue, thoughts.

P

趴 [pā]: Party. The word literally means lying on one’s stomach, but as an Internet slang term, it means “party” because of the similar pronunciation.

啪啪啪 [pā pā pā]: The sound of slapping or smacking. This is a euphemism for having sex.

胖子都是潛力股 [pàng zi dōu shì qiǎn lì gǔ]: <Expression> Fat people are all high-potential stocks. This sentence became famous after pictures of celebrities who lost a lot of weight went viral on Sina Weibo. This expression is often used to encourage friends or oneself.

炮友 [páo yǒu]: Cannon+friend. Friends with benefits. This Internet slang term is related to 約炮 [yuē pào].

陪伴，是最長情的告白 [péi bàn, shì zuì cháng qíng de gào bái]: <Expression> Staying as one’s companion is the most perennial love confession.

碰瓷 [pèng cí]: Bump+china. Extortion under false pretense. As an Internet slang term, its latest meaning is that old people deliberately lying down in front of vehicles pretending to be injured and then asking vehicle owners for compensation.

盆栽精 [pén zāi jīng]: Bonsai+elf/spirit. This Internet slang term is a loving nickname for The Weeknd due to his dreadlocks resembling a bonsai tree.

噴 [pēn]: To spurt, spout gush. To go on a rant online. This Internet slang term is often used to describe Internet trolls. 

噴子 [pēn zi]:  Literally “sprayers,” this Internet slang term means Internet trolls, or people who make deliberately offensive or provocative online postings.

飄過 [piāo guò]: Literally “flying by.” This term is used to indicate one’s lack of interest in something as if he or she will just fly by without stopping by.

皮皮蝦，我們走 [pí pí xiā, wǒ men zǒu]: <Expression> Mantis shrimp, let’s go. This expression is used humorously to show discontent and threaten to exit the online conversation.

Q

前方高能 [qián fāng gāo néng]: Highlights ahead. Originating from the Japanese ACG (anime, comic and games) culture, this Internet slang term asks the readers to pay attention to what comes next. It often precedes a spoiler alert or an interesting fact.

墻裂 [qiáng liè]: Wall+crack. This Internet slang term and 强烈 [qiáng liè] “strongly” are homophones. This meme is often used to recommend something; the image of a cracked wall is way more vivid than the original word. Imagine someone smacking a wall and speaking effusively.

墻內 [qiáng nèi]: On this side of the Great Firewall. The Internet environment affected by the Great Firewall.

強排 [qiáng pái]: Strongly+stand [behind you]. To strongly agree with [you]. To strongly support [you].  

墻外 [qiáng wài]: On the other side of the Great Firewall. the Internet environment unaffected by the Great Firewall.

錢妞 [qián niū]: Money+lass. This Internet slang term is a nickname for Kesha.

敲 [qiāo]: Strike. This verb as an Internet slang term is a phonetic deviation of 超 [chāo] “super, extremely.” When you use this meme in Internet posting or online conversations, you are deliberately trying to lighten up or act cute.

敲黑板 [qiāo hēi bǎn]: To strike the blackboard with one’s knuckles or hand (to ask the students to pay attention). This Internet slang term is reminiscent of the teaching style of many Chinese teachers. This Internet slang term is used to emphasize something.

氣場兩米八 [qì chǎng liǎng mǐ bā]: An aura of 2.8 meters. This Internet slang term is used to describe a person with an aura of respectability. It is often used humorously.

棄坑 [qì kēng]: To abandon a pit. To stop posting new chapters of an Internet novel and leave it unfinished; to stop playing an online game; to give up a hobby because of boredom.

親 [qīn]: Short for 親愛的 [qīn ài de] “dear”, this Internet slang term is widely used by sellers on online shopping sites to address the customers and the general audience.

情何以堪 [qíng hé yǐ kān]: <Expression> How can this be endured! This expression is often used to comment on an embarrassing incident.

情懷 [qíng huái]: Sentiment. This Internet slang term is used to describe one’s passion about something bigger than oneself. Sometimes it is used sarcastically.

清流 [qīng liú]: Limpid+stream. A clear stream. This Internet slang term is often used in the context of “XXX is a clear stream in the field of…” to describe a rising star who stands out among others in a field, usually for his or her refreshing candor or sense of humor.

請收下我的膝蓋 [qǐng shōu xià wǒ de xī gài]: <Expression> Please accept my knees. Please allow me to kneel down in front of you. Please accept my reverence [for you].

奇葩 [qí pā]: Weirdo. Goofy, wacky, zany.

求……的心理陰影面積 [qiú…de xīn lǐ yīn yǐng miàn ji]: <Expression> Determine the size of [someone’s] psychological shadow. Determine how traumatized someone is. This Internet slang term is used to poke fun at someone assumed to be embarrassed or hurt in a situation. For example, when you see your neighbor constantly chastise his kid by comparing the little child with the smartest kid in the class, you lament that you don’t know how traumatized the child will be by such an overbearing parent.

圈粉 [quān fěn]: Encircle+fans. To glean/accumulate fans.

取關 [qǔ guān]: Cancel+follow. To unfollow [someone on a social media site].

群嘲 [qún cháo]: Group+mock. (Of a group of people) to laugh at someone.

R

燃 [rán]: Feeling pumped and inspired.

然並卵 [rán bīng luǎn]: <Expression> Short for 然而並沒有什麽卵用 [rán ér bìng méi yǒu shén me luǎn yòng] “But it is useless” or “But it doesn’t make any difference.” This expression is used to express one’s frustration or contempt.

熱單 [rè dān]: <Music> Hot+single. Short for 熱門單曲 [rè mén dān qǔ] “hit single.”  This Internet slang term usually refers to European and American pop songs in English.

惹 [rě]: Particle. This Internet slang term is a substitute for 了 [le] which is a particle indicating the completion of an action. It also mimics the Taiwanese accent.

人才[rén cái]: Literally “talent” or “wizard, this Internet slang term usually refers to a person who did something unconventional and funny.

人畜无害 [rén chù wú hài]: Doesn’t not do harm to either human beings or animals. Innocuous. This Internet slang term is used to describe a person who is kind and innocent and maybe occasionally naive.

人艱不拆 [rén jiān bù chāi]: <Expression> This Internet slang term is short for 人生已經如此的艱難，有些事情就不要拆穿 “Life is already so hard, just leave some things undivulged”, quoted from 林宥嘉 Lin Youjia aka Yoga Lin’s song 《说谎》 “Lie.”

人設 [rén shè]: Short for 人物設定 [rén wù shè dìng] character design. This internet meme is typically used in the discussion of characters in Internet novels, TV series, and movies.

人生苦短，必須性感 [rén shēng kǔ duǎn bì xū xìng gǎn]: <Expression> Life is short, [one] must be sexy. This expression is widely used to encourage people to be brave. As 短 [duǎn] “short” rhymes with 性感 [xìng gǎn] “sexy”, I prefer to translate it as “life is short, get some balls.”

人生贏家 [rén shēng yíng jiā]: A winner in life. A person who achieves or even exceeds the mainstream definition of success. In China, such a person is typically heterosexual, nice-looking, highly educated, incredibly rich and/or powerful, married, and has one or more adorable children.

人在做，天在看 [rén zài zuò, tiān zài kàn]: <Expression> People are doing [things]; God is watching. This Internet slang term is a caveat that doing bad things will bring bad karma.

日 [rì]: To fuck.

日了狗 [rì le gǒu]: <Expression> Boinked the dog. 我真是日了狗了 [wǒ zhēn shì rì le gǒu le] “I had boinked the dog” is a vulgar way of whining “What have I done to deserve this?” It goes well with a facepalm.The term was originally an ID on Douyu TV (live streaming site).

弱爆了[ruò bào le]: Literally “[it] sucks to the extreme that it explodes”, this term means “[it] sucks big time”.

弱弱的問一句 [ruò ruò de wèn yí jù]: <Expression> Literally “weakly ask a question”, this term is used when one is going to ask a question timidly, either because he or she thinks the question might be too basic or because the question is embarrassing.

S

撒狗糧 [sǎ gǒu liáng]: <Expression> To pour dog food. (Of a couple) to show affection toward each other online or offline, which may trigger envy, jealousy, and self-pity among single people. 

騷年 [sāo nián]: [Lustful, flirtatious] teenage boy. A phonetic deviation of 少年 [shào nián] teenage boy. This Internet slang term simply means “teenagers brimming with hormones.”

喪 [sàng]: To vegetate due to deep frustration. This Internet slang became popular in 2016 following Internet memes like 葛優癱 [gě yōu tān] “the Ge You slouch”, 廢柴 [fèi chái] “trashy firewood, douchebags”, 生無所戀 [shēng wú suǒ liàn] “There is nothing in life to long for”, Pepe the Frog, etc. Analysts attribute the popularity of this Internet slang term to the post-90s‘ [people born between 1990 and 1999] pessimism about social mobility amidst a host of social problems such as air pollution, the skyrocketing housing prices, and workplace stress.

喪文化 [sàng wén huà]: The subculture of vegetating. This Internet slang term refers to a collection of beliefs and behaviors that enable the working-class youth in China to express their pessimism about life and their future.

喪心病狂 [sàng xīn bìng kuáng]: Frenzied and perverse. As an Internet slang term, it is often used positively or neutrally to describe one’s wildly unexpected behavior.

三觀[sān guān]: The three views—worldview, life philosophy,  or value system. Weltanschauung. 

三歲 [sān suì]: Three-year-old. This Internet slang term is often coupled with someone’s last name. It became popular first when used to describe Hong Kong actor Francis Ng aka Wu Zhenyu when he appeared with his son on the reality TV show Where Are We Going, Dad in 2014. Netizens dubbed him “Wu Three-Year-Old”, amused by his mischievous and childlike personality on the show as well as on Weibo. The meme has been widely used to describe many beloved celebrities.

三小只 [sān xiǎo zhī]: Three little ones. The three little ones are the three members of Chinese music band TFBOYS, Wang Junkai, Wang Yuan, and Yi Yang Qianxi.

森女 [sēn nǚ]: Mori (Forest) girl. In Japanese, a mori girl is a girl who looks like she lives in forests. She is dressed in earthy colors and pursues a simple and natural lifestyle.

傻白甜 [shǎ bái tián]: Silly+innocent+sweet. Originally used to describe an unaffected, sweet and innocent female character in romance novels, this Internet slang term now applies to people of all genders and ages who are genuinely adorable.

SB/傻逼 [shǎ bī]: Stupid+vagina. Dumb ass. SB is the pinyin acronym of 傻逼. An alternative form is 傻B. This term is vulgar.

閃 [shǎn]: Literally “flash,” this Internet slang term means to leave swiftly, to beat a hasty retreat.

山寨 [shān zhài]: Literally “mountain village,” this Internet slang term refers to illegal imitations or replicas of established brands or goods. They tend to be shoddy and inexpensive.

上 [shàng]: To mount [someone]. To have sex with someone.

傷不起 [shāng bù qǐ]: <Expression> Literally “not hurtable”, this slang term is often used to describe oneself as being very vulnerable. This term also means “not offendable.” In that case, it is used to describe an authority figure who is too powerful to offend.

燒腦 [shāo nǎo]: Burn+brain. Brain-scorching. This Internet slang term means “intellectually challenging”.

少女心 [shào nǚ xīn]: Teen girl’s heart. A person with a teen girl’s heart is girly, dreamy, sensitive, vigorous, and sentimental. This Internet slang term is often used positively to describe a person who unapologetically adores girly toys and longs for romantic chance encounters with male celebrities like a moony teenage fangirl. This term sometimes runs the risk of perpetuating gender stereotypes about girls and teenagers.

少女心收割機 [shào nǚ xīn shōu gē jī]: Teen girls’ hearts+harvester. Male actors or singers who captivate female audiences with their good looks and/or talents.

受 [shòu]: The receiver or the more passive person in gay sex.

手賤 [shǒu jiàn]: Hand+base. (Of hands) base. You chastise your hand or fingers for being base because you clicked on something that is so gross or scary that you regret being inquisitive.

手撕鬼子 [shǒu sī guǐ zi]: To lacerate the devils [a term of abuse for foreign invaders, particularly Japanese invaders] by hand. This Internet slang term pokes fun at the 2011 Chinese TV drama The Curious Maestros against Japanese Invasion in which a Kungfu master tears up the Japanese invaders in the War of Resistance against Japan (1937-1945). The plot was berated online and by state-run newspapers like People’s Daily for distorting history.

蛇精病 [shé jīng bìng]: Snake+spirit+disease. Adapted from 神經病 [shén jīng bìng] “a neurotic person or a person with a mental disorder”, the Internet slang term often describes a creatively wacky and often funny person. It can be a compliment.

深柜男 [shēn guì nán]: Deep in the closet+male. Homosexual males who haven’t come out. They claim to be heterosexual and sometimes display anti-homosexual attitudes. Some of them date and/marry the opposite sex under social pressure and keep their sexual orientation a secret.

神回復 [shén huí fù]: Legendary reply. This Internet slang term refers to an extremely creative and funny comment on social networking sites.

深井冰 [shēn jǐng bīng]: “Ice in a deep well”, a semi-homophone of “psycho”. Similar to 蛇精病 [shé jīng bìng], this term is often used humorously. 

神經病啊 [shén jīng bìng a]: <Expression> [One of Xue Zhiqian’s pet phrases] Neurotic! This expression means “Are you crazy?” or “Are you nuts?”

神馬 [shén mǎ]: Literally “legendary horse”, this Internet slang term shows a funny way to say 什麼 [shén me] “what, whatever” based on homophones.

什麼仇什麼怨 [shén me chóu, shén me yuàn]: <Expression> What grudge do you hold against me? This expression first became popular in 2014 as a passenger’s reply to another passenger who tried to stop him from cracking melon seeds on the bus. They kept arguing for seven minutes while the melon seed cracker grumbled “What grudge do you hold against me [so that you keep pestering me]?” several times during the process. Now the expression is used as a comment on or complaint about an interpersonal conflict that one does not fully understand.

什麼鬼 [shén me guǐ]: What the devil [is that/are you talking about]? This Internet slang term is often coupled with this emoticon  which means 笑cry [xiào cry] “laugh to the point of crying”. You don’t use this term when you are mad or upset or confused; use it when you are amused.

神人 [shén rén]: Legendary person, hot shot. A person who said or did amazing or funny things.

深夜發吃，報復社會 [shēn yè fā chī, bào fù shè huì]: <Expression> Post food pictures late at night to get revenge on society. This Internet slang term combined with pictures of delicious food is used to get the viewers hungry and then increase their waistlines. 

神最右 [shén zuì yòu]: Literally “legendary farthest right”, this Internet meme refers to a brilliantly creative or funny Weibo comment that goes viral and generates numerous re-shares. This comment is on the farthest right end after many re-shares.

聖誕趴 [shèng dàn pā]: Christmas party.

剩男 [shèng nán]: Leftover men. A sexist Internet slang term referring to single men over 30 years old.

剩女 [shèng nǚ]: Leftover women. A sexist Internet slang term referring to single women over 27 years old.

生肉 [shēng ròu]: Raw meat. Foreign language videos without Chinese subtitles. 

生無可戀 [shēng wú kě liàn]: <Expression> There is nothing in life to long for. This Internet meme is a humorous alternative to words like “distraught,” “bummed out,” and “speechless.” A typical facial expression is actually an impassive one due to utmost frustration. ​​​​

十動然拒 [shí dòng rán jù]: This term is short for 十分感动，然后拒绝 [shí fēn gǎn dòng, rán hòu jù jué] “deeply moved, and then rejected…”. This term is made famous by the following news story [watch video].

石化 [shí huà]: Literally “petrified”, this Internet slang term is used in a different context: More often than not, it’s used to describe the state of being shocked rather than frightened, and the shock can be caused by embarrassment, amusement, or unexpectedness.

視姦 [shī jiān]: Visually+rape. This Internet slang term originated in Japan to describe sexual objectification of women in photography, but now in China it means: 1) to stare at women in a lewd way; 2) to annoy others online through oversharing.

實力 [shí lì]: Derived from the original noun “capability,” this Internet slang term is used as an adjective meaning “real,” or “evidence-based” and as an adverb meaning “strongly” and “effectively.” This term is often used humorously or satirically.

始於顏值，陷於才華，忠於人品 [shǐ yú yán zhí, xiàn yú cái huá, zhōng yú rén pǐn]: <Expression> [My love for my idol] started because of his or her looks, then I fell for his or her talents, and I stick around because of his or her character.

熟肉 [shú ròu]: Cooked meat. Foreign language videos with Chinese subtitles.

刷 [shuā]: To swipe. To watch [movies or TV dramas].

水果姐 [shuǐ guǒ jiě]: Fruit+sister. This Internet slang term is a nickname for Katy Perry because of her colorful wardrobe. She is also famous for the fruity outfit in the Super Bowl halftime performance.

水軍 [shuǐ jūn]: Literally “waterborne troops,” this Internet slang term refer to the rumored people hired by PR firms for online marketing purposes. They post online to either support a brand or sabotage the brand’s competition.

水逆 [shuǐ nì]: Mercury+retrograde. In astrology, when Mercury retrogrades, things tend to go wrong. This Internet slang term is used humorously to describe the reason for mishaps.

刷屏 [shuā píng] & 被……刷屏 [bèi shuā píng]: Paint+screen. To publish several posts on the homepage or News Feeds page on a social media site within a short time, which sometimes exasperates the followers. 被……刷屏 [bèi shuā píng] v. To have the homepage occupied by posts by someone or about a topic.

甩鍋 [shuǎi guō]: Dump+wok. 1) To refuse to be wronged. 2) To shirk responsibility while one is actually responsible.

撕逼 [sī bī]: Tear up+vagina. This sexist Internet slang term originally referred to caustic quarrels between women, but now it has evolved to describe acrimonious disputes or tough competition between people or organizations.

死忠粉 [sǐ zhōng fěn]: Dead+loyal+fan. Hardcore fans, stalwarts. 

蘇 [sū]=酥 [sū]: (Of a person’s limbs) weak, soft. This Internet meme describes a charming smile or gesture that melts you heart. Reactions may include goose bumps, shivers down you spine, a tingling sensation all over your body, and a big smile on your face.

酸 [suān]: Sour. To make snide remarks.

碎成渣渣 [suì chéng zhàn zhā]:  To break into smithereens. This Internet slang term is often used to describe a broken heart or the challenged worldview, but exaggeration, humor, and/or sarcasm are involved in the usage.

碎碎唸 [suì suì niàn]: Fragmented+fragmented+talk. 1) To chatter/prattle/jabber; 2) to nag; 3) to mutter.

鎖場 [suǒ chǎng]: To lock the auditorium. This Internet slang term describes the phenomenon that ardent fans purchase one to two movie tickets for each movie auditorium where their idols’ movie is scheduled to be screened, in order to give theatrical exhibitors the false impression that their idols’ movies are very popular so that the movie would be screened at more movie theaters.

T

躺槍 [tǎng qiāng]: “Lying down [but still got] shot.” Short for 躺著也中槍 [tǎng zhe yě zhòng qiāng] “getting shot while lying [on the floor]”, this Internet slang term is used to describe people being criticized or mentioned in an unwanted way even when they deliberately try to avoid it. People mentioned or blamed for what they are not responsible for often use this Internet slang term for self-mockery.

攤手 [tān shǒu]: To have one’s open palms face upwards. Smugshrug. This Internet slang term originally described the emoticon ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and is now often used directly to show that you don’t give a damn about something or have to accept an unfavorable situation.

套路 [tào lù]: Trap+path. Originally the word means “routine,” “sequence,” “pattern,” “artifice,” “stratagem,” and “style.” As a new Internet meme, however, it also means “cliche,” “trap,” and “machination.” It is used to express one’s boredom with cliches or speaking patterns. It also helps express distraught after falling into someone’s trap.

特麼 [tè me]: Fucking or freaking. This phrase is a phonetic deviation of the curse word 他媽的 [tā mā de] “His mother’s (vagina).”

天朝 [tiān cháo]: “Celestial Empire“, a traditional name for China. Now this Internet slang term is often used sarcastically.

填坑 [tián kēng]: To fill a pit. To update an online novel.

天啦嚕 [tiān la lu]: Zoikes; well, well; oh Lord; wow.

天雷滾滾 [tiān léi gǔn gǔn]: Thunders rolling in the sky. Shocked. This term is similar to 雷 [léi] thundered.

舔屏 [tiǎn píng]: To lick the screen. To drool over the online photos or videos of sexy people or scrumptious food.

鐵粉 [tiě fěn]: Iron+fan. Hardcore fans, stalwarts.

TM: Fucking or freaking. This phrase is a phonetic deviation of the curse word 他媽的 [tā mā de] or 特麼[tè me] “(Fuck) his mother’s (vagina).”

TMD: <Expletive> Fuck. This word is an acronym for 他媽的 [tā mā de] (=他媽 [tā mā]=特麼[tè me]).

同框 [tóng kuāng]: Same+frame.  (To be captured) in the same picture. To be seen together in public.

同人 [tóng rén]: Japanese term doujin referring to a group of people or friends who share an interest, activity, hobbies, or achievement. In China, this term is often used to describe people who are engaged in fanfiction writing.

童鞋 [tóng xié]: Children’s shoes. Sounding similar to 同学 [tóng xué] “classmates,” this Internet slang term refers to a (fellow) young person in an affectionate way. It was created to imitate the Taiwanese accent.

吐槽 [tù cáo]: To vent, question, or comment, often in a funny or creative way. To diss or roast [someone].

土豪 [tǔ háo]: Traditionally meaning “local tyrant(s)”, this Internet slang term went popular because of  土豪金 [tǔ háo jīn]  “local tyrant gold”, an Internet slang term referring to the gold color iPhone 5S and the stereotype of iPhone 5S users as being arrogantly wealthy. “Local tyrant(s)” means (arrogant) wealthy people.

土豪金 [tǔ háo jīn]: Literally “the local tyrant gold”, this is a popular Internet meme used to described the gold-colored iPhone 5S. “Local tyrant” indicates the bias that rich people like iPhone 5S users are often rude braggarts and show-offs who get rich by taking advantage of legal loopholes.

推坑 [tuī kēng]: To push [someone] into a pit. To persuade someone to become a fan of novels or manga delivered in serial form.

推送 [tuī sòng]: Push+send. (Of official accounts of organizations) to recommend+send [articles on Weibo or WeChat].

脫線 [tuō xiàn]: To derail. To suddenly change the subject; to suddenly become distracted.

 

W

外貌協會 [wài mào xié huì]: Appearance+association. The good looks club. This Internet slang term was first used to describe women who pick dates or spouses based on their looks—handsomeness outweighs everything else. Now it also refers to a preference for aesthetic qualities.

YY=歪歪 [wāi wāi]: YY is a pinyin acronym for 意淫 [yì yín]. 1) To fantasize; 2) to have sexual fantasies; 3) to have unrealistic expectations. 4) to interpret things in narcissistic ways. 歪 [wāi] means crooked, slanted, and evil.

挖坑 [wā kēng]: To dig a pit. To start writing an Internet novel and publishing it in installments. To start playing an online game. To start a project that attracts people’s attention.

網紅 [wǎng hóng]: Internet celebrity, cyberstar.

汪星人 [wāng xīng rén]: Woof star folks. Dogs and puppies.

灣灣 [wān wān]: Wan Wan. This Internet slang term was created by Mainland Internet users as a nickname for Taiwan or the Taiwanese people.

我不要面子的啊 [wǒ bú yào miàn zi de a]: <Expression> [One of Xue Zhiqian’s pet phrases] [You think] I don’t want face?! This expression means “You think I don’t want a good reputation?”

我擦 [wǒ cā]=臥槽 [wò cáo]=我操 [wǒ cào]=我靠 [wǒ kào]: <Expletive> Literally “I fuck”. These three Internet slang terms are used interchangeably because they sound alike.

我和小夥伴都驚呆了 [wǒ hé xiǎo huǒ bàn men dōu jīng dāi le]: <Expression> My little buddies [“little buddies” is used among children to refer to friends] and I were all dumbfounded. This expression is often used humorously to express one’s shock at something. 

我夥呆 [wǒ huǒ dāi]: <Expression> My+buddy+shock. This expression is short for 我和小夥伴都驚呆了 [wǒ hé xiǎo huǒ bàn men dōu jīng dāi le] which means “My little buddies [“little buddies” is used among children to refer to friends] and I were all dumbfounded.” This expression is often used humorously to express one’s shock at something. 

我勒個去 [wǒ lè gè qù]:  <Expletive> Literally “I fuck”, this term was first used in the Chinese dubbing of the Japanese anime series Gag Manga Biyori (ギャグマンガ日和). The anime series was dubbed by “cucn-201”, an Internet dubbing group consisting of four male students from the dorm room #201 of The Communication University of Chinese, Nanjing (CUCN). Their dubbing localized the anime series. Many phrases they used for dubbing the series turned out to be popular slang terms on China’s Internet.

我宣你 [wǒ xuān nǐ]: <Expression> This Internet slang phrase is a cute way of saying 我喜歡你 [wǒ xǐ huān nǐ] “I like/dig/love you” with a Taiwanese accent.

握爪 [wò zhǎo/wò zhuǎ]: Hold+claw. A cute way of saying 握手 [wò shǒu] “shake hands.”

為毛 [wèi máo]: <Expletive> For+hair. Why (the hell). This Internet slang term imitates the Henan dialect and is vulgar because “hair” refers to “your mother’s pubic hair.”

圍笑 [wéi xiào]: Surround+smile. Smile. This Internet slang term, an alternative of 微笑 [wēi xiào] “smile” because they sound alike, mimics the Taiwanese accent.

溫油 [wēn yóu]: Lukewarm oil=gentle. This cute Internet slang term is an example of phonetic transcription. Cantonese speakers who don’t bother to master Mandarin often mispronounce 溫柔 [wēn róu] “gentle” as “lukewarm oil.” 

污 [wū]: Dirty. This neologism is used to tease someone that tells sex jokes. It is also used to comment on sexually explicit content. Humor is involved in the usage and the user doesn’t really abhor the sex puns or lewd talk.

WULI: A Korean word meaning “my”. This Internet slang term is added before the name of someone you admire or like.

污力滔滔 [wū lì tāo tāo]: <Expression> Pouring out dirtiness in a steady flow. This expression is used to describe people who like talking about sex either directly or indirectly. 

無厘頭 [wú lí tóu]: Nonsensical. This slang term is translated from Cantonese and most famously used to describe 周星驰 Zhou Xingchi aka Stephen Chow‘s comedies.

五毛 [wǔ máo]: Fifty Cents [Party], as opposed to 美分 [měi fēn] “U.S. Cents [Party}”, are rumored to be a group of people who are paid to praise or defend the Chinese Communist Party on the Internet. The Internet users who praise or defend the Chinese Communist Party but do not get paid are criticized as “Fifty Cents” too. “U.S. Cents [Party] are those who are considered to be funded by the U.S. government or organizations to attack China or the Chinese government.

我能怎麽辦? 我也很絕望啊! [wǒ néng zěn me bàn? wǒ yě hěn jué wàng a]: <Expression> What can I do? I am also in despair. This expression is used humorously to express how shocked and helpless one feels. It is often used humorously.

我想靜靜 [wǒ xiǎng jìng jìng]: <Expression> I want some quiet time. This Internet slang term is used to when you are shocked. The expression is sometimes followed by 別問我靜靜是誰 [bié wèn wǒ jìng jìng shì shuí] Don’t ask me who Jingjing is, because an alternative interpretation of the expression is “I miss Jingjing.”

威武 [wēi wǔ]: Mighty, powerful, cool. This Internet slang term is an alternative way of saying “awesome” or “cool.”

我也是醉了 [wǒ yě shì zuì le]: <Expression> I’m drunk too/I got wasted too.

文藝 [wén yì]: 1) Artistic. 2) Artsy-fartsy.

X

細思恐極 [xì sī kǒng jí]: <Expression> Meticulously+think+fear+extreme. To think carefully about something to a point where one is petrified to the extreme.

瞎逼逼=瞎BB [xiā bī bī]: To talk sheer nonsense; to ramble on; to nag; to gossip; to judge others.

嚇出翔 [xià chū xiáng]: Scare the crap out of me.

嚇尿 [xià niào]: Spooked+pee. To be spooked and wet one’s pants.

先馬後看 [xiān mǎ hòu kàn]: <Expression> First+bookmark+later+read. Since 馬 [mǎ]=馬克 [mǎ kè]=Mark=Bookmark, this phrase means “Bookmark it for later perusal.” It is used when you re-share something you like and want to read more closely when you have a moment.

羨慕嫉妒恨 [xiàn mù jì dù hèn]: <Expression> Literally “to envy, get jealous of, and hate”, this expression is often used to describe envy rather than jealousy.

翔 [xiáng]: Excrement, feces, poop.

相愛相殺 [xiāng ài xiāng shā]: <Expression> To love and kill each other. This Internet slang term humorously describes a de facto or assumptive love-hate relationship between two individuals.

先森 [xiān sēn]: First+forest. Sir, mister. This Internet slang term is a phonetic deviation of 先生 [xiān shēng] with a southern accent. The use of this slang term indicates playfulness and/or affection.

小白 [xiǎo bái]: Little+white. This Internet slang term is analogous to “rookie” or “newbie.” This term is often used to describe one’s inexperience in a field. It is a neutral or positive term because it implies one’s need for learning.

小婊砸 [xiǎo biǎo zá]: <Expletive> A phonetic variation of 小婊子 [xiǎo biǎo zi] “little bitch” with the Beijing accent.

笑cry [xiào cry]: Laugh to the point of crying. The Internet slang term is often represented by this emoji:  . 

笑得像鍾漢良一樣 [xiào de xiàng zhōng hàn liáng yí yàng]: To laugh as Wallace Chung does.

笑點 [xiào diǎn]: Laugh+point. Laughing threshold. how easy it is to make someone burst into laughter.

小公舉 [xiǎo gōng jǔ]: A phonetic variation of 小公主 [xiǎo gōng zhǔ] “the little princess”. This Internet slang term refers to a man who does not follow the traditional gender role as a macho guy. He is not afraid to display the “feminine” body language.

小黃書 [xiǎo huáng shū]: Little+yellow+book. The yellow little book is a nickname for books and magazines characterized by either pornography or eroticism.

小夥伴 [xiǎo huǒ bàn]: Little buddies. This term is traditionally used to describe a kid’s playmates, but recently it became a trending Internet slang term referring to the readers, the fans, or the post author’s friends. This term is quoted from “My little buddies and I are stupefied“.

小李子 [xiào lǐ zi]: Little Lee, an affectionate nickname for Leonardo Dicaprio. It is also a common nickname for an eunuch whose family name is Li in TV series about the imperial palace of the Qing dynasty.

小姐姐 [xiǎo jiě jie]: Little+older sister. This Internet slang term is used to address or describe girls and young women. 

笑尿 [xiào niào]: Laugh [so hard that I] wet my pants.

小盆友 [xiǎo pén yǒu]=小朋友 [xiǎo péng yǒu]: Literally “Little friend”, this slang term is a phonetic deviation of a friendly way of addressing little children]. The phonetic deviation imitates how the phrase is pronounced with the accent in Southern Chinese dialects.

小清新 [xiǎo qīng xīn]: Little+clear+fresh. 1. A music genre marked by artistic, aesthetic, and nonmainstream compositions and/or lyrics. 2. The artistic, aesthetic, and nonmainstream style in literature, movie, and photography. 3. (Of people) adoring simplicity, elegance, serenity, and independence. Sometimes this Internet slang is used with sarcasm. 

小確喪 [xiǎo què sàng]: Little+definite+frustration. A sarcastic antonym of 小确幸 [xiǎo què xìng] “Little definite happiness,” this Internet slang term was originally the title of an Internet pop song. Now it is used to describe the working-class youth’s certainty about daily nuisances and the drudgery of work.

小確幸 [xiǎo què xìng]: Little+definite+happiness. Little things that you can be sure of and will make you happy. Quoted from Haruki Murakami’s book Afternoon of the Islets of Langerhans to refer to transient happiness, this Internet slang term reminds people to be grateful.

小三 [xiǎo sān]: Little third, referring to the third person in marriage—extramarital lover.

小仙女 [xiǎo xiān nǚ]: Little+nymph. This Internet slang term is used to address or describe girls and young women.

小鮮肉 [xiǎo xiān ròu]: Little+fresh+flesh. Spring chicken. This Internet slang term refers to teens or young adults who are nice-looking (especially with impeccable skin) and look innocent.

習大大 [xí dà dà]: Uncle Xi. This Internet slang term was created by 張洪銘 Zhang Hongming as a nickname for Xi Jinping, the President of China. Zhang explained that 大大 [dà dà] is a way of addressing a paternal uncle younger than one’s father in Shaanxi dialects.

喜大普奔 [xǐ dà pǔ bēn]: <Expression> (Of news, etc.) so thrilling that everyone is rejoicing and spreading the word.

戲精 [xì jīng]: Drama+spirit. An attention-seeking person with a histrionic display of emotions and/or opinions. This Internet slang term is sometimes used humorously.

犀利 [xī lì]: Incisive. This Internet slang term is often used to describe a piercing glance, a sharp-witted person, or an accurate and cutting remark.

犀利哥 [xī lì gē]: Brother Incisive. A homeless man called Cheng Guorong who was dubbed “Brother Incisive” on China’s Internet in 2010 for his piercing gaze and outlandish outfits.

吸貓 [xī māo]: Sniff+cat. (Of a cat owner) to sniff the cat. This Internet slang term is often used by cat owners to describe their love for cats. They can’t help hugging and playing with the cats as soon as they see them, and they even like sniffing the smell of cats. The term mimics the word 吸煙 [xī yān] “smoking.”

吸霾 [xī mái]: Sniff+smog. To have to sniff smog constantly because of air pollution. This Internet slang term mimics the word 吸煙 [xī yān] “smoking.”

洗腦神曲 [xǐ nǎo shén qǔ]: Brainwashing+epic+song. A pop song whose melody and lyrics are catchy and memorable. When it is stuck in your head, it can stay there for days. Sometimes this Internet slang term is slightly negative because the music is often not considered very classy.

心大 [xīn dà]: Heart+big. This Internet slang term describes people who are so careless that they may put themselves or others in danger. It also describes people who are less susceptible to criticism or personal attacks because they don’t give a damn.

新番 [xīn fān]: New show. Originally it referred to new Japanese animation-manga TV series, now it describes any new TV show or movie.

心機boy/girl [xīn jī boy/girl]: Scheming, shrewd boy/girl. This Internet slang term is used to describe a person whose behaviors are self-serving. It can be used positively to tease a friend or an idol or negatively to criticize someone.

新技能 [xīn jì néng]: New skill. This Internet slang term is often followed by “快get” [kuài get] which means “get [the new skill] quickly”. The skills discussed are often inspired by creativity.

心塞 [xīn sāi]: [Sad and frustrated] as if there were something stuck in the heart.

行走的荷爾蒙 [xíng zǒu de hé ěr méng]: The walking hormones. Stud muffins, attractive men.

熊本熊 [xióng běn xióng]: Kumamon, a mascot created by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan in 2010 for a campaign to draw tourists to the region. A number of emojis have been circulated on China’s Internet based on the image of Kumamon.

熊孩子 [xióng hái zi]: “A little brat”, “an annoying kid”, or “an ankle-biter” in dialects in northeastern China, Shandong, and Henan. Sometimes this Internet slang term is used with affection to refer to a mischievous kid.

學霸 [xué bà]: Academic tyrants. People who excel in academics.

血槽已空 [xuè cháo yǐ kōng]: <Video game terminology> The blood groove is already empty. Death. This Internet slang term is often used to describe how people are swept off their feet by the pictures of their idols. 

學渣 [xué zhā]: Academic dreg. This Internet slang term refers to low-performing students. It is often used for self-mockery.

Y

鴨梨 [yā lí]: Literally “pear”, this word and 压力 [yā lì] “pressure” are semi-homophones. This word is often used to refer to “pressure” humorously.

壓力山大 [yā lì shān dà]: Mountains of stress. To be overtly stressed. This Internet slang term sounds like 亚历山大 [yà lì shān dà] Alexander.

雅蠛蝶 [yǎ miè dié]: Literally “small elegant butterfly,” this Internet meme became popular around 2009. It sounds like the Japanese word yamete (止めて) “stop,” which is a stereotypical female line in Japanese porn movies. The butterfly species doesn’t exist.

顏即正義 [yán jì zhèng yì]: <Expression> Appearance is justice. This expression is used to humorously defend one’s preference for nice-looking people, to the dismay of plain-looking people and those who are against body shaming. The expression is sometimes used sarcastically.

顏控 [yán kòng]: Face+freak. A person who is obsessed with good-looking people and believes that beauty can give one a head start in life. They might have a conscious or unconscious bias against plain-looking people.

嚴肅臉 [yán sù liǎn]: Stern-faced. A stern face.

顏藝 [yán yì]: The art of facial expression, especially the acting style featuring contorted facial expressions. This Internet slang term comes from the Japanese ACG culture.

顏值 [yán zhí]: Meaning “face” in Kanji, this Internet slang term returned to China as an index for measuring the beauty or handsomeness of one’s face. 

顏值爆表 [yán zhí bào biǎo]: <Expression> To max out the cute-o-meter. Off-the-charts cute/pretty.

顏值巔峰 [yán zhí diān fēng]: The peak of physical attractiveness.

妖艷賤貨 [yāo yàn jiàn huò]: Pretty and coquettish bitches. This Internet slang term was made popular by Taiwanese vlogger @谷阿莫 who is famed for producing video synopses of movies and TV series. In the synopses, the term was used frequently in the sentence “[The male lead] feels [the female lead] is so innocent, so unpretentious, and so different from those pretty coquettish bitches outside.” This term describes the type of women that grosses the male leads out, but of course irony is often involved.

一零后/10后 [yī líng hòu]: The Post-’10 or the Post-2010. People born between 2010 and 2020 in mainland China.

以夢為馬 [yǐ mèng wéi mǎ]: <Expression> [With one’s] dream as a horse. Originally the title of a poem by Hai Zi, this Internet slang term is now used by hipsters to show their dedication to their dreams.

一言不合就。。。 [yì yán bù hé jiù…]: <Expression> [To do something] because of a word of discord. This expression is used to emphasize the unexpected behavior after having a mild disagreement. Sometimes disagreement is not involved, it is used to describe how someone started doing something out of the blue.

應援 [yìng yuán]: Originating from Japan and South Korea,  応援 or 응원, this Internet slang term means to help and support [the idol].

用力過猛 [yòng lì guò měng]: To use too much strength. A Chinese equivalent of the idiom “cross the line” in English. This Internet slang term describes well-intended yet inappropriate efforts that turn out to be counterproductive or socially unacceptable.

用生命在…… [yòng shēng mìng zài]: To use one’s life to [do something]. To [do something] wholeheartedly/with no reservation. This Internet slang term is often used humorously.

有愛 [yǒu ài]: Adorable, cute, especially when done with love or compassion.

有才 [yǒu cái]: Having talent. Talented.

油菜花 [yóu cài huā]: Canola flower/rape flower. This term is popular among Wallace Chung’s mainland fans and refers to talented fans who are creative, artistic, and/or tech-savvy. The namesake was created because it sounds like 有才華 [yǒu cái huá] “talented.”

有毒 [yǒu dú]: Poisonous. This Internet slang term is often used to describe any viral Internet meme such as a catchy melody, an Internet spoof, and a humorous emoji, that is addictive. It also describes a person who is goofy and funny.

有範 [yǒu fàn]: Having great panache, radiant with confidence, displaying distinctive and stylish elegance. This Internet slang term praises one’s appearance, fashion sense, mannerisms, and/or character.

油管 [yóu guǎn]: Gas pipeline. This Internet slang term is a nickname for YouTube. 油 [yóu] “oil or gas” sounds like “you” while 管 [guǎn] “pipe” is a translation of “tube.”

友盡 [yǒu jìn]: Friend+over. To sever a friendship. This Internet slang term is often used as a humorous reply to a friend’s prank or offensive comment or a joking comment on a friend’s amazing strength that makes you feel sorry for your mediocrity. Yet, sometimes people do mean it when they say to you, “Friendship terminated.”

有木有 [yǒu mù yǒu]: Correct? Does that ring the bell? Does that hold true for you? Do you relate to what I said?

有錢，就是這麼任性 [yǒu qián, jiù shì zhè me rèn xìng]: Rich, [XX] is able to be so self-willed. This phrase became popular as a comment on a man who deliberately wired up to 544,000 RMB to scammers thinking that the police would not take the case if his loss was minimal.

又叒叕 [yòu ruò zhuó]: Again + Again×3 + Again×4. This Internet slang term emphasizes a recurring event.

爺 [yé]: Literally “Grandpa”, this slang term is often used to refer to oneself.

業界良心 [yè jiè liáng xīn]: Industry+conscience. Of the industry standard.

原地爆炸 [yuán dì bào zhà]: <Expression> Implode right where you are. This expression is used to indicate one’s dissatisfaction with or anger at a person’s statement or action. It is a euphemism for “Get lost.”

雨露均霑 [yǔ lù jūn zhān]: To bestow benefits equally. Do not play favorites. This Internet slang term is used to 1) resist unwanted attention, 2) request equal treatment, or 3) brag about the attention one receives.

欲求不满 [yù qiú bù mǎn]:  Having unsatisfied sexual desire. 

約嗎 [yuē ma]: Wanna have [a one night stand]? It is an Internet slang term that emerged in the context of online dating, especially among people who use mobile dating apps to look for friends with benefits. In casual everyday conversations, this phrase is used for inviting others to do something together. Due to the original sexual connotation, the use of this term always sounds humorous.

約炮 [yuē pào]: Appointment+cannon. To have casual sex such as one-night stands and other related activity. This Internet slang term is created from a male points of view because it is a combination of 約會 [yuē huì] “to have a date” and 打炮 [dǎ pào] “1) To open fire with artillery, 2) a slang term for having sex [with a prostitute], or 3) to jerk off.”

雨神 [yǔ shén]: Rain God. This Internet slang term is a nickname for Jam Hsiao or Xiao Jingteng because his presence in new cities during the concert tour tended to coincide with downpours.

宇宙觀 [yǔ zhòu guān]: Universe+view. Adapted from the word “worldview,” this Internet slang term is often used as a precept reminding people not to take themselves too seriously: Look at yourself from the perspective of the universe, and you’ll realize how trivial your problems are.

Z

砸簡歷 [zá jiǎn lì]: <Expression> Smash+resumes. Please smash [us, the employers, with your] resumes.  

造 [zào]: To know, know of. This Internet slang term is a funny variation of 知道 [zhī dào]. They sound similar especially when you say the original word very fast. It was created to mimic the way the word is uttered in Taiwanese Idol TV dramas.

在線 [zài xiàn]: On+line. Up to scratch. This Internet slang term is a compliment for someone or something that reaches a satisfactory level. For example, you can say an actor’s acting skills are online, meaning his or her acting skills meet the audience’s expectations.

走你 [zǒu nǐ]: <Expression> Literally “go you”, this term means “let’s go” or “come on” in the northern China dialect. 走你 [zǒu nǐ] aka 航母 Style [háng mǔ style] “aircraft style” went viral in November, 2012 because of the gesture used to give the green light to the J-15 jet pilots on China’s first aircraft carrier.

走心 [zǒu xīn]: Walk+heart. Going through one’s heart. Sincere, from the bottom of one’s heart, [a project] showing diligence and dedication and moving the reader or the audience.

怎麼破 [zěn me pò]: <Expression> How to+break. How can we solve [a problem]? How should I deal with [a situation]? This expression is used to play cute and provide/ask for a solution.

渣男 [zhā nán]: Dreg+male. This Internet slang term usually refers to dissolute and licentious men who are disloyal in love, but it also describes men who don’t work hard for career advancement. Sometimes it is another way of describing the male chauvinist pigs.

宅 [zhái]: Indoorsy. This word is a little negative, as the indoorsy are assumed to stay at home doing insignificant things such as playing video games and watching TV shows on the computer. Indoorsy people often lead a sedentary life at home.

站隊 [zhàn duì]: Stand+queue. To take sides.

照騙 [zhào piàn]: Photo+deception. [Inaccurate] photo. This Internet slang term refers to a photo that does not truthfully reflect a person’s appearance. It is usually over-photoshopped. This term and 照片 [zhào piàn/pian] are homophones.

扎心了，老鐵 [zhā xīn le, lǎo tiě]: <Expression> It smarts, buddy. This expression is adapted from the Northeastern Chinese dialect. 扎心 [zhā xīn] means “pierce my heart” while 老鐵 [lǎo tiě] is a slang term for “good friend.” This expression became popular at the beginning of 2017 and is often used humorously.

種草 [zhòng cǎo]: Grow+grass. This Internet slang term compares recommending products to others to growing grass, because one plants the seeds of desire for the product in the listener’s mind. The speaker is usually a fashion blogger or a loyal consumer of a brand.

中二病 [zhōng èr bìng]: Eighth grade syndrome. Originated from Japan, this term describes adolescent egocentrism and intuitive, emotional thinking. Adults with this syndrome are imaginative at best and self-centered at worst.

中國好XX [ zhōng guó hǎo XX]: <Expression> Chinese+good XX. The good…of China. This expression became popular because of the reality singing competition 中国好声音 The Good Voices of China aka the Chinese version of The Voice which began airing in 2012.

鍾黑 [zhōng hēi]: Chung+black. Wallace Chung detractors. People who disparage Wallace Chung and his fans.

腫麼 [zhǒng me]: A humorous, phonetic deviation of 怎麼 [zěn me] “how, why, what’s the matter”.

周邊 [zhōu biān]: Peripheral [products.] Merchandise produced to take advantage of a related work or a celebrity featured in the work. A tie-in or spin-off.

這貨 [zhè huò]: This dude, often used in causal conversation among Chinese young people.

這句話我給滿分 [zhè jù huà wǒ gěi mǎn fēn]: <Expression> I give this sentence full marks. This phrase is used to compliment someone who says something that greatly pleases the listener. A variation is 這句話我給99分，多一份怕你驕傲 [zhè jù huà wǒ gěi jiǔ shí jiǔ fēn, duō yì fēn pà nǐ jiāo ào] I give this sentence 99 points; if I give you one more point, I am afraid you will be too proud.

真愛粉 [zhēn ài fěn]: True love+fan. Fanatic fans whose love for the idol stands the test of time. They often regard the idol as a mentor and major influence, express their devotion creatively, and strive to become a better person as a result.

整段垮掉 [zhěng duàn kuǎ diào]: <Expression> [One of Xue Zhiqian’s pet phrases] The whole segment collapses. This expression means “Epic fail!”

正能量 [zhèng néng liàng]: Positive energy, a buzzword that blew up on China’s social media sites in 2012 that encourages people to stay optimistic and strong.

這盛世如你所願 [zhè shèng shì rú nǐ suǒ yuàn]: <Expression> This golden age, as you wished for. This expression is often used sarcastically to express discontent with government misconduct.

這樣的。。。給我來一打 [zhè yàng de…gěi wǒ lái yì dá]: <Expression> Give me a dozen of…like this. This expression is used to emphasize one’s affection for something or someone.

直男癌 [zhí nán ái]: “Straight man cancer”, unpleasant features of men who are chauvinistic, radical, or narrow-minded. For example, such men disregard personal hygiene, explicitly or implicitly despise women, abhor the rich, or blame others only for their own misfortunes.

直女癌 [zhí nǚ ái]: Straight woman cancer. The female form of “straight man cancer,” this Internet slang term describes women who submit to sexism and actively attack women’s liberation. They deride career women, single women, childless women and mothers who don’t have sons.

治愈系 [zhì yù xì]: (Of the) therapeutic+series. Originated from the Japanese phrase 癒し系, this Internet slang term describes people and things that are healing, calming, and heartwarming.

撞臉 [zhuàng liǎn]: Face+bump. This Internet slang term is often used to describe celebrity look-alikes.

裝逼=裝B [zhuāng bī]=裝13 [zhuāng shí sān]: Pretend+vagina. To aggrandize oneself, to put on a charade of wealth and/or wisdom, to make oneself look richer, more powerful, more intelligent, and more important than he or she really is.

磚家 [zhuān jiā]: Brick+expert. Charlatans. This Internet slang term and 專家 [zhuān jiā] are homophones. It is a cynical nickname for bogus experts who mislead the public with irresponsible or unreliable comments. Their credibility is jeopardized by their own ignorance or depravity.

追劇 [zhuī jù]: Chase+drama. To binge-watch TV dramas or to keep up with the latest episodes of a new TV series.

追星狗 [zhuī xīng gǒu]: Star-chasing dogs. Fanatic fans [of artists and entertainers such as singers and actors].

豬精女孩 [zhū jīng nǚ hái]: <Fandom Terminology> Pig spirit+girl. This sexist Internet slang term originally referred to female fans who eat a lot like pigs and feel so good about themselves and therefore are annoying to others. Now it also refers to fat, ugly women with a histrionic personality. Sometimes it is used for self-mockery.

自黑 [zì hēi]: To make self-effacing comments. It could be a form of humble brag, but it could also serve the sole purpose of amusing others.

自來水 [zì lái shuǐ]: Tap water. This Internet slang term refers to the Internet users who voluntarily post laudatory remarks online to promote a brand. This term was originally used to describe the viewers of Monkey King: Hero’s Back who recommend the movie on the Internet.

自己挖的坑，跪著也要填完 [zì jǐ wā de kēng, guì zhe yě yào tián wán]: <Expression> Since the hole is digged by myself, I have to fill it even if that means kneeling on the ground throughout the process. This Internet slang term means that, once you make a decision or commitment, you have to pay the dues no matter what.

姿勢 [zī shì]: Posture. This Internet slang term is a humorous way of saying 知識 [zhī shi] “knowledge.”

作 [zuō]: To spaz out. To go into hysterics on someone.  To overreact and seek attention. To make a fuss about small things. n. Histrionics.

作死的節奏 [zuò sǐ de jié zòu]: <Expression> The rhythm of seeking death. This expression means “if you keep doing this, this will get you killed.”

嘴炮 [zuǐ pào]: Mouth+cannon. This Internet slang term refers to telling tall tales or being argumentative and even a little aggressive.

嘴欠 [zuǐ qiàn]: Having a propensity to nag at others, to talk about people behind their backs, or to simply speak impolitely or even offensively. This Internet slang term is used to describe people who lack respect for others, hurt others’ feelings, or don’t know how to hold a friendly and delightful conversation.