Do you know these casual Chinese words and expressions?
If you’ve been following my Mandarin slang series, you’ve probably learnt some of them already!
If not, here’s a great opportunity to build your vocab and boost your spoken Chinese.
Answer Key & More Examples
You'll find more video examples of how the vocabulary is used here:
100 Chinese Slang Words You Won’t Learn From Your Textbook [1-10]
100 Chinese Slang Words You Won’t Learn From Your Textbook [11-20]
100 Chinese Slang Words You Won’t Learn From Your Textbook [21-30]
Looking for a concise answer key? Here you go:
- 1装逼 zhuāng bī:To pretend to be something you're not. (e.g. cool, rich or capable)
- 2二货 èr huò: an idiot/ a fool/ a stupid person
- 3牛 niú: awesome/ amazing / really cool (literal meaning: cow)
- 4作 zuō: dramatic (and troublesome)
- 5萌 méng: cute
- 6男神 nán shén & 女神 nǚ shén: An ideal man/ the epitome of a man & An ideal woman/ the epitome of a woman
- 7靠谱 kào pǔ: reliable/ reasonable
- 8小鲜肉 xiǎo xiān ròu & 老腊肉 lǎo là ròu: A young and handsome guy & An old, handsome, and experienced man (literal meaning: small fresh meat) & (literal meaning: tough cured meat)
- 9吐槽 tù cáo: to complain/ to roast/ to criticize
- 10吃土 chī tǔ: To be dirt poor (literal meaning: eat dirt)
- 11套路 tào lù: to deceive / to play tricks / trickery
- 12键盘侠 jiàn pán xiá: Keyboard Warrior / Keyboard Man / Internet Troll
- 13开撕 kāi sī:to have a beef with somebody / to be irritated with somebody / / to have a row(literal meaning: to open + to tear)
- 14心灵鸡汤 xīn líng jī tāng: "chicken soup for the soul" /a soul soother/ a motivational speech(literal meaning: soul + chicken soup)
- 15为...打call wèi... dǎ call: to show one's support / to cheer for someone
- 16补刀 bǔ dāo: to attack someone who’s already under fire/ to rub salt in the wound(literal meaning: Add knife)
- 17戏精 xì jīng: a drama queen / a person who is good at acting(literal meaning: drama + an expert)
- 18宅 zhái: to hang out at home / to prefer to stay at home rather than go out /a bit anti-social or "homebodyish"(literal meaning: house / to reside)
- 19单身狗 dān shēn gǒu: a single woman / a single man(literal meaning: single dog)
- 20吃货 chī huò: foodie
- 21富二代 fù èr dài: A (spoiled) person who got their wealth from their parents
lit. "rich second generation" - 22比心 bǐ xīn: a finger heart sign for showing your positive feelings, like love or happiness. lit. "make your fingers look like a heart shape"
- 23巨 jù: super / really / extremely. lit. "very large / huge / tremendous"
- 24耍 shuǎ: kid / tease / play a trick on
- 25亲 qīn: darling /dear
- 26干货 gān huò: great stuff. lit. "dry goods / dried fruit, nuts etc"
- 27毒舌 dú shé: a sharp tongue (The characteristic of speaking to others in a harsh, critical, or insulting manner). lit. "poison tongue"
- 28佛系 fó xì: buddha-like being kind-hearted / having an "anything will do" attitude. lit. "buddha department"
- 29砍价 kǎn jià: bargain
- 30尬聊 gà liáo: have an awkward conversation