Everyday Chinese Slang
Not all slang is niche internet culture — some of it is just how people talk every day. These are the casual expressions that fill normal conversation: reactions, everyday labels, and turns of phrase that a textbook would never teach you but a friend uses constantly.
Founder of Fluentide · Native Mandarin speaker · Incoming Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University
Updated June 2026
What is Everyday Chinese Slang?
Learning these is the fastest way to stop sounding like a textbook. Each entry gives the pinyin, the plain-English meaning, whether it is still current, and an example of how it lands in real conversation.
Everyday Chinese Slang terms
搭子
dā zi
an activity buddy / a [meal/gym] partner
显眼包
xiǎn yǎn bāo
the show-off / class clown / a whole spectacle
社恐
社交恐惧shè kǒng
socially anxious / socially awkward
社死
社会性死亡shè sǐ
dying of embarrassment / social death
上头
shàng tóu
hooked / it goes to your head
干饭人
gàn fàn rén
big eater / here to demolish this meal
Browse other slang categories
Pinyin acronyms, number codes, and meme words from Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin — yyds, 666, xswl.
Chinese Gen-Z SlangCutesy, ironic, fast-changing words young people actually type — 绝绝子, 尊嘟假嘟, i人.
Chinese Work & Burnout SlangHow young China talks about the grind — 内卷 (neijuan), 躺平 (tangping), 摸鱼 (moyu), 摆烂 (bailan).
Chinese Dating SlangLabels for crushes, players, and relationship status — 海王, 舔狗, CPDD.
Everyday Chinese Slang FAQ
Free account
Hear this slang in real Chinese
A dictionary tells you what a word means. Fluentide's free podcast episodes let you hear how people actually say it — natural, spoken Chinese at your level, with full transcripts, pinyin, and translations.
- Hear slang in natural audio
- Keep vocab and transcript progress
- Continue at your level