Mandarin Slang Guide

I saw most of this on Twitter from @chenchenzh so go follow her! This is the Sixth Tone article I mentioned: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1007589/tired-of-running-in-place%2C-young-chinese-lie-down And the 知乎 Zhihu post I mentioned: https://www.zhihu.com/question/60293871 And a seminal post about 躺平: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7337991441 1. 躺平 (tǎng píng) Literally “lie flat,” it means to ignore society’s demands and lead a peaceful, quiet, non-overachieving life. Opposite of 內卷，or the culture of forced overachievement. 2. 躺平族 (tǎng píng zú) The lie-flat clan! 3. 躺平教 (tǎng píng jiào) The religion of lying flat! 4. 低欲望 (dī yùwàng) “Low desire.” It’s a core tenant of flat-lying. After all, desire is the root of suffering! Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups! WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin WeiBo: 這好像是個樹華吧 MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese le...

To learn more about Mind China, search for the "心生 Mind" WeChat Public Account! Listen to The Waves 海浪FM:https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/pb3i6-15b353/%E6%B5%B7%E6%B5%AAFM-Podcast Follow Ivy on Douban:https://www.douban.com/people/181463412/ 1. 神經病 (shénjīngbìng) Literally means “a neurological disorder,” but is often used as a serious or playful insult a la “crazy.” Very common but also somewhat insensitive. Why not replace it with something else, like, for example: 2. 勺子 (sháozi) Literally “spoon,” it’s an insult from NE China that could be offensive to spoons, but fortunately I don’t think the spoons mind too much. 3. 社恐、自閉 (shè kǒng、zì bì) Literally “social anxiety” and “autism,” these are both commonly used to describe yourself when you feel like staying in and not being social. Both are clearly problematic, so why not swap them for: 4. 我想靜靜 (wǒ xiǎng jìng jìng) A cutesy way to say “I just want some peace and quiet.” Also a pun...

1. 賣國賊(màiguózéi) “Country-selling thief,”someone who sells out their country. Can be used for someone from any country. 2. 漢奸(hànjiān) “Chinese traitor”, or, literally, “Han traitor,”where Han is the dominant ethnic group of China. Honestly I don’t think it’s particularly healthy to have a special word just for people branded as traitors to your country - or ethnicity - but I suppose I do have a limited, outsider’s perspective to the language. Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups! WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin WeiBo: 這好像是個樹華吧 MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese learning content that you need. We go inside the language to bring you the culture and stories behind the words that your textbook just isn’t giving you. Likes, subscribes, comments, and ratings help ensure that I'll be able to keep doing it! Thanks. I love you, no matter what Thomassays.

Listen to Anita’s podcast, 井號鍵 here or on your podcast app: https://gravetalk.typlog.io/ Visit Anita’s website: https://anitaxu.com/home/en/ 1. 死(adv)(sǐ) “Very,”“extremely,”“--to death” 2. 社會性死亡(shèhuì xìng sǐwáng) A “society death,”or, a situation so embarrassing that one may wish for death 3. 人老心不老(rén lǎo xīn bùlǎo) “Person old, heart not old,”to be young at heart 4. 死鬼(sǐguǐ) Literally “dead ghost,”a pet name between lovers. Thank goodness Anita told me what this means... otherwise, if I had a girlfriend and she called me 死鬼 in public I would probably experience a 社會性死亡 5. 翹辮子(qiàobiànzi) Literally, “lift the queue/ponytail”， meaning “die” In the Qing Dynasty, many Chinese were required to wear their hair in a queue that had to be lifted in order for a beheading to happen. 6. 卒(zú) An ancient word for “death”in a military context. Now used to mean “dead”in a comical way, you know, for hyperbole. Got questions? Wa...

Find Hunter on Twitter: @hualun14 Listen to his pod, 翻轉體育 Sports Inverted, here or on your favorite podcatcher: https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/5e393a72418a84a046bd59a4 1. 好球(hǎo qiú) “Good ball!”as in “Good shot! Nice shot!” If someone goes in to score alone, that’s a 單刀球，dāndāo qiú, “lone sword ball” 2. 三不沾(sān bù zhān) “Three No-Touches”, an airball (it missed the backboard, the rim, AND the net) 3. 蓋帽(gàimào) A hat; or, a law enforcement officer; or, a blocked shot. Wanna say “nice block?”好帽！ 4. 打得像蔡徐坤(dǎ dé xiàng càixúkūn) “You play like Cai Xukun,”an insult. Poor Mr. Cai made a music video wherein he displayed some... questionable b-ball skills, and was ridiculed The funny Taiwanese commentator who made up a lot of the colorful sports terms in Mandarin: 傅達仁，fùdárén Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups! WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: ...

1. 俺(ǎn)I, me, we, us, etc2. 曉得(xiǎodé)To know something, like 知道3. 没門兒(méi méner)“No way! Not gonna happen!”For more words & examples, check out the Beijinger article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8EDVicH7NMbknumcNtcviwGot questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups!WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese learning content that you need. We go inside the language to bring you the culture and stories behind the words that your textbook just isn’t giving you. Likes, subscribes, comments, and ratings help ensure that I'll be able to keep doing it! Thanks. I love you, no matter what Gregorysays.

Check out 楊一’s work as Co-Founder and COO of JustPod: https://justpodnews.com/en/1. 時間管理大師(shíjiān guǎnlǐ dàshī)Literally a “Time management master,”it’s a cheater who has to balance their time between multiple girl/boyfriends.2. 海王(hǎiwáng)Literally “Sea King”or Aquaman, it’s a player - someone who is at all the parties and whose response to “There are lots of fish in the sea”is “I’ll take them all, thanks!”3. 工具人(gōngjù rén)Literally “tool person,”it’s a person who is being used by their job or by someone else in their life. They’ve been reduced to a tool!4. 后浪(hòulàng)The “next wave,”it refers to the young generation that is coming after old people like me in the 前浪。Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups!WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese learning content that you need. We go inside the language to bring...

Check out Caiwei's podcast, 定向跳轉 Redirect (in Mandarin) here or wherever you pod: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ZeU05KVgETU8BruI42bPq1. 打工人(dǎgōng rén)“Laborers,”an ironic self-address used by the working class to commiserate and bond 2. 內卷(nèi juǎn)“Involution,”or curling inward, referring to the way competition forces people to put forth increasingly more effort and labor without receiving more benefits or creating better output. Originally a dry sociology term, it’s become hot as an explanation for many of China’s woes.3. 凡爾賽(fáněrsài)“Versailles.”It’s become a buzzword for rich people showing off their (usually inherited, as opposed to earned) flashy lifestyle.4. 陰間(yīnjiān)“The underworld,”or the dark place. Used in the way the kids are using “cursed”these days, to describe something you see online that you wish you hadn’t seen.Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups!WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.face...

1. 爺青回(yé qīng huí) Short for 爺的青春回來了，”This old man’s youth has returned!”, meaning that something has reminded you of your youth; made you feel nostalgic; sent you back in time (figuratively) 2. 爺青結(yé qīng jié) Short for 爺的青春結束了，”This old man’s youth is ended,”meaning that something you used to love has either ended or become a disappointment. Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups! WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese learning content that you need. We go inside the language to bring you the culture and stories behind the words that your textbook just isn’t giving you. Likes, subscribes, comments, and ratings help ensure that I'll be able to keep doing it! Thanks. I love you, no matter what Santasays.

(If you've already heard the INCOMPLETE version, just skip to 21:30 and you'll hear the new stuff!)Hey! This is NSFW! Really! If you want a clean version, send me an email at mandarinslangguide@gmail.com and I'll make one for you, cuz there's a lot of profanity in this. You ready for that? OK, well, you've been warned!1.腦子不用，可以捐給有需要的人(Nǎozi bùyòng, kěyǐ juān gěi yǒu xūyào de rén)“If you’re not using your brain, you can donate it to someone in need!”2.傻B他媽給傻B開門，真是傻B到家了(shǎbī tā mā gěi shǎbī kāimén, zhēnshi shǎbī dàojiāle)“The dipsh*t’s mom opens the door for the dipsh*t, because the dipsh*t’s all the way home.”Saying something is “X到家了”literally means “X arrived at home,”but slang-ly it means “EXTREMELY X.”So you can substitute the “傻B”in this sentence for anything else, and the result is a profane way to say “EXTREMELY X.”3.哪個部門批準你裝這麼大的一個逼(nǎge bùmén pīzhǔn nǐ zhuāng zhème dà de yīgè ...