24 Mandarin Chinese Slang Phrases Every Learner Should Know
The Importance of Chinese Slang
For intermediate Chinese learners, the goal is no longer simply survival Chinese.
The goal shifts towards not only communicating with people on more complex topics, but also to make people laugh and to connect with them on a personal level.
Mastering Chinese slang is a key part of reaching these goals.
Unfortunately, online resources tend not to give Chinese slang the attention that it deserves. Established online dictionaries often do not cover slang at all, while other sites relating to Chinese may cover some slang in passing. Online resources also tend not to filter between slang that is more socially acceptable and can be regularly used by language learners and slang that would raise eyebrows (and fists).
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Our Goal with Chinese Slang
Our goal in our Chinese slang posts is to:
- teach you commonly used slang
- focus on slang that is mainstream/unoffensive and hence usable in everyday life
- do it through thorough but easy to understand explanations and real life examples
To find those real life examples, we suggest FluentU!
Enjoy some of our Chinese slang posts here:
- China’s Group Buyers – 拼客
- Chinese Slang 101: “Leftover Girls” and “Diamond Wangs”
- Chinese Slang: The Naked Series
- Chinese Slang: The “Rushing Clan”
- Chinese Slang 101: Chinese geeks and nerds – 宅男
- The “Nibble Old Group” and Other Notable 族s
- The Many Varieties of “上班族”
- Chinese Slang: “Company Moths”
- Chinese Slang 101: “Color Wolf”
- Chinese Slang for “Newbie”
- Chinese Slang 101: How do you say “girly” in Chinese? 娘
- Chinese Slang 101: Can’t take it anymore? 伤不起
- Chinese Slang 101: How to say someone is making a fool out of himself
- Chinese Slang 101: A-OKAY
- Chinese Slang: “Minding My Own Business”
- Chinese Slang: The Ba Series for Tests, Interviews, and Karaoke
- Hold住 – What Disney & Spielberg Did To Be Successful
- Who Knew That Chinese Fruits Were Under So Much Pressure
- Slang For The NEW “What?!” – Horse God
- Spike Up Your Energy & Pump That Gas!
- Top Slang Phrases Of 2012
- Chinese slang to help you celebrate “Magical Singles Day”
- Top 5 Jeremy Lin Puns in China and Taiwan
- Valentines Day, aka “Catch Your Lover Day” in China
And One More Thing...
If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.
FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.
FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.
The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.
Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store.
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn Chinese with real-world videos.