Chinese Internet slang

Numeronyms

• 114514 – Borrowed from a Japanese homophonic shorthand for a line in A Midsummer Night's Lewd Dream. Considered a humorous reference to the said gay porn in China, Japan, and Taiwan among anime-adjacent circles. A Chinese homophone is 逸一时，误一世, "a moment of leisure can lead to a lifetime of loss", generally used to "explain" the number in a more sanitized way. Also derived from the same work are: 1919, 810.
• 520 – "I love you". 520 represents 我爱你.
• 996 – The 996 working hour system

  Latin abbreviations

• BZ – bǎnzhǔ, the moderator of an internet discussion forum
• BS – bǐshì, to despise
• JB – jiba, vulgar word referring to a man's private parts
• CCAV – China Central Adult Video, ironic nickname for China Central Television
• CD – Cross-dressing
• CN – chǔnǚ or chǔnán, virgin
• FL – fàláng, hairdresser, possibly providing sex services
• FQ – fènqīng, indignant/angry youth
• GC – gāocháo, orgasm
• GCD – gòngchǎndǎng, the Communist Party
• GG – gēge, literally older brother, by extension male friend, or guy. Nowadays, people say "GG" to mean good job on the game.
• HLL – huá lì lì, glamorous, high-profile
• JC – jǐngchá, police
• JP – jípǐn, high quality, but used ironically for things that are extremely low quality
• JY – jīngyīng, elite, right-wing intellectuals, but also jīngyè sperm, semen
• KJ – kǒujiāo, oral sex
• LD – lǐng dǎo, leadership, i.e. the government and officials
• ML – to make love
• MM – mèimèi, little sister, young girl, pretty girl. Often written as "MM", which usually refers to a young girl or pretty girls
• NB – niúbī, an awesome, formidably impressive person, similar to "badass"
• NMSL – nǐmāsǐle, lit. "Your mom is dead", used as an insult
• PG – pìgu, buttocks
• P民 – pì mín, rabble, hoi polloi, ordinary people, often used ironically
• PS or P出 – Photoshopped
• SB – shǎbī, lit. "dumb cunt", commonly used as an insult
• SN – sauna, reinforced by its Chinese translation sāngná
• TMD – tāmāde, common Chinese expletive used for "damn", "fuck", and the like
• TT – tàotao, condom
• WDR – wàidìrén, stranger, outsider, foreigner
• XJ – xiǎojiě, young woman, but also commonly for prostitute
• XXN - xiăo xiān nǚ, "little fairies", means "pretty girl" or "young girl"
• XP – xìngpì, aesthetics or orientation of appearance
• YD – yín dàng, obscene, perverted
• YY – yì yín, fantasizing, sexual thoughts
• ZF – zhèngfǔ, government
• ZG – zhōngguó, China

  Chinese characters abbreviations

• Life is so hard that some lies are better not exposed – This comes from the lyrics of a song entitled "Shuo Huang", by Taiwanese singer Yoga Lin. The phrase implies a situation that is too harsh to be contemplated. For example, it can be used to describe a large group of unemployed recent college graduates. This slang reflects that some people, especially young people in China, are disappointed by reality. The phrase is often paired with "too tired to love".
• Short, ugly and poor – The opposite of ' below, the least ideal.
• Tall, rich and handsome – This is the opposite of "" or "". Used to describe men with great wealth, a perfect body, as well as high qualifications and social status—ideal characteristics in mainland China. The word comes from an animated TV series, Tall, Rich and Handsome, in which the protagonist's name was "Tall, Rich and Handsome". This slang has become widely used on the internet, symbolizing the perfect man that many women in China dream of marrying.
• Too tired to love – This slang phrase is a literal abbreviation of the Chinese phrase "too tired to fall in love anymore." It originated from an article on the Douban website posted by a 13-year-old boy who grumbled about his single status and expressed his weariness and frustration towards romantic love. The article went viral, and the phrase was subsequently used as a sarcastic way to convey depression when encountering misfortunes or setbacks in life.
• White complexion, rich, and beautiful – Female equivalent of '. The ideal girlfriend or wife.
• Get rid of single status – No longer single, as if changing relationship status on social media. In Taiwan, means no longer a loser the Taiwanese equivalent of as relationship status is one of the success indicators.
• Go to surf – To hang out.

  Neologisms

• 50 Cent Party – Internet users paid by the government or the Communist Party to post comments.
• Fanchuan – An indirect attack on a specific entity, such as a celebrity, video game, or brand. Individuals first feign support for the entity, and exhibit this allegiance widely; they then engage in offensive or irritating behavior, attempting to undermine the entity by association. This deceptive conduct is designed to tarnish the reputation of the target or its fan community.
• Little fresh meat – Young, cute, handsome male idol, of around 12 to 25 years old. Originally used for stars, now used more generally by extension.
• Loser – "Diaosi" is used to describe young men born into a poor family and are unable to change the circumstances of their poverty. People usually use this phrase in an ironic and self-deprecating way. For example, someone might say "I am a diaosi" with a sigh when they see wealthy people with private cars and luxurious houses. The origin of this slang is unknown, but it is widely used today on the internet, and can be said to reflect that many people feel upset and discontented as they fail to change their lives no matter how much effort they have put in.
• Masculine woman – The phrase literally means "female man", and refers to women who possess traditionally masculine personality traits such as being brave and more independent. They eschew makeup or do not like going shopping. Some repair electrical appliances. More importantly, these women do not have any boyfriends. The emergence of this type of women reflects the increasing social and economic status of women.
• The one to be blamed – Internet slang for people who usually take responsibilities for others' faults
• Single dog – The term that single people in China use to poke fun at themselves for being single.
• Slash youth – Slash here means having multiple identities or careers. Youth refers to young people, usually from the twenties to thirties. It is used by young people to reflect the multiple part-time jobs/hobbies they undertake.
• Buddha-like mindset is a term used by Chinese youth to describe people who reject the rat race in favour of a tranquil, apathetic life. The term has been applied to numerous areas such as parenting, employment, online shopping, fans, and relationships. For Buddha-like parenting, the adherents say that "there are not that many kids who will really amount to much, so why give them an exhausting childhood?"

  With altered meanings

• Vulgar tycoon – Refers to irritating online game players who buy large amounts of game weapons in order to be glorified by others. Starting from late 2013, the meaning has changed and is now widely used to describe the nouveau riche in China.
• Spare tire – Refers to the person who is reserved for relationship; a backup.
• Big aunt – A woman's period.
• The Eight Trigrams – To gossip.
• Cute – original meaning is "heal". Nowadays, it is used as an adjective to describe something as cute or heartwarming.
• Run – originally "profitable" or "to moisten or lubricate", now a term that expresses the desire to smoothly escape one's current country of residence.
• "Cutting leeks" or "cutting chives" - marketing practices that focus on short-term profits without a long-term plan.
• "Eat melon" - being a bystander observing an online event or discourse.
• "House collapsed" - a celebrity ruining their career with scandal.

  Puns

• River crab – Pun on meaning "harmony". Online Chinese term for Internet censorship commonly seen in forums and blogs.
• Let's do it – Used as a verb, it means "come on, let's do it!" It is a homophonic expression of the word "冲呀" where 呀 has been replaced with 鸭 as it looks cuter.

  Borrowings

From Japanese

• 3P – Threesome, as in the pornographic kind
• OL – office lady, a woman with an office job.
• Otaku – Men with obsessive interests that leave no time for normal life outside the home, similar to geek or nerd in English.
• Otaku – Female equivalent of 宅男,

  Criticism