Chinese internet slang in Chinese 网络用语
wǎngluò yòngyǔ
Internet slang in Chinese is 网络用语 (wǎng luò yòng yǔ).
Also searched for as: Chinese slang, Gen Z slang in Chinese, yyds meaning, Chinese internet words, Chinese buzzwords.
yyds, 666 and friends: how China talks online. 15 essential Chinese internet slang words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Chinese internet slang, 网络用语 (wǎng luò yòng yǔ), moves fast, but some terms have become part of everyday speech. 躺平 (tǎng píng), "lying flat", and 内卷 (nèi juǎn), pointless over-competition, sum up attitudes to work, while 社恐 (shè kǒng), socially anxious, and 社牛 (shè niú), a social butterfly, describe personalities. Knowing a few makes social media, comment sections and chats with younger friends far easier to follow.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| yyds | y y d s | the GOAT; the best ever (from 永远的神) |
| 搭子 | dā zi | buddy for a particular activity |
| 破防 | pò fáng | to be hit hard emotionally; to crack |
| 躺平 | tǎng píng | to lie flat; to opt out of the rat race |
| 内卷 | nèi juǎn | rat race; pointless over-competition |
| 摆烂 | bǎi làn | to stop trying; to give up on purpose |
| 社恐 | shè kǒng | socially anxious; social anxiety |
| 社牛 | shè niú | social butterfly; super outgoing person |
| 666 | liù liù liù | awesome; nice one (skilful) |
| 情绪价值 | qíng xù jià zhí | emotional value; making someone feel good |
| 离谱 | lí pǔ | ridiculous; outrageous |
| 打工人 | dǎ gōng rén | worker; wage slave (self-mocking) |
| 凡尔赛 | Fán ěr sài | humblebrag; to humblebrag |
| 吃瓜 | chī guā | to watch the drama as a bystander |
| 种草 | zhòng cǎo | to make someone want to buy something |
Usage tips
- yyds is made from the pinyin initials of 永远的神 (yǒng yuǎn de shén), "forever a god"; pinyin-initial abbreviations like this are common online, and people read them out letter by letter.
- 搭子 (dā zi) attaches to almost any activity: 饭搭子 (fàn dā zi), a meal buddy; 旅游搭子 (lǚ yóu dā zi), a travel buddy.
- 内卷 is often shortened to 卷 (juǎn): 太卷了 (tài juǎn le), it's so competitive; 卷不动了 (juǎn bu dòng le), I can't keep up the race any more.
Common mistakes
- Reading 666 as unlucky, as it can be in Western culture: in Chinese, 六 (liù) sounds like 溜 (liù), slick and smooth → 666 is praise, like "nice one" or "skilful".
- Using 离谱 (lí pǔ) as a compliment: it means ridiculous or outrageous, usually with disbelief or annoyance → for praise use 绝了 (jué le) or yyds.
Mini dialogue
- A我最近在找一个健身搭子，你有兴趣吗？Wǒ zuì jìn zài zhǎo yī ge jiàn shēn dā zi, nǐ yǒu xìng qù ma?I'm looking for a gym buddy, are you interested?
- B算了吧，我是社恐，健身房人太多了。Suàn le ba, wǒ shì shè kǒng, jiàn shēn fáng rén tài duō le.Nah, I'm socially anxious, and the gym's too crowded.
- A早上人很少！而且旁边那家火锅店是yyds，练完我们去吃。Zǎo shang rén hěn shǎo! Ér qiě páng biān nà jiā huǒ guō diàn shì yyds, liàn wán wǒ men qù chī.It's really quiet in the mornings! And the hotpot place next door is the GOAT, we can go after the workout.
- B666，那我就不躺平了！Liù liù liù, nà wǒ jiù bù tǎng píng le!Nice one, in that case I'll stop lying flat!
Example sentences
- 这家火锅真是yyds！This hotpot place is the GOAT!
- 我在找一个健身搭子。I'm looking for a gym buddy.
- 看到这条视频我直接破防了。That video totally got to me.
- 我不想卷了，我要躺平。I'm done competing, I'm lying flat.
- 我们公司内卷太严重了。The rat race at our company is out of control.
- 复习不完了，干脆摆烂吧。I'll never finish revising, I might as well give up.
- 我是社恐，不敢跟陌生人说话。I'm socially anxious, I'm scared to talk to strangers.
- 她是社牛，跟谁都能聊。She's a total social butterfly, she can chat to anyone.
- 这波操作666！That move was awesome!
- 他特别会提供情绪价值。He's really good at making people feel good.
- 这个价格太离谱了！This price is outrageous!
- 早安，各位打工人！Morning, fellow wage slaves!
- 别凡尔赛了，你明明很有钱。Stop humblebragging, you're obviously loaded.
- 我不说话，我就是来吃瓜的。I'm not saying anything, I'm just here for the drama.
- 我被这支口红种草了。That lipstick has got me wanting to buy it.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Chinese internet slang speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Chinese internet slang to prepare your own answers to.