Teasing & roasting in Chinese 互损
hù sǔn
Tease in Chinese is 损 (sǔn).
Also searched for as: teasing, roast, roasting, making fun of, taking the mickey, pulling someone's leg.
Friendly teasing between people who like each other. 15 essential teasing & roasting 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.
Friendly teasing in Chinese is captured by 互损 (hù sǔn), friends roasting each other as a sign of closeness. A friend who never lets you off the hook is a 损友 (sǔn yǒu), and the light-hearted dig itself is 损 (sǔn). When teasing goes too far, 玩笑开大了 (wán xiào kāi dà le), the joke went too far, is how you'd apologise, while 逗你玩 (dòu nǐ wán) reassures someone you're only messing about.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 损 | sǔn | to tease; to mock |
| 互损 | hù sǔn | to roast each other |
| 损友 | sǔn yǒu | mate who never lets you off the hook |
| 怼 | duǐ | to diss; to shoot down (slang) |
| 取笑 | qǔ xiào | to make fun of |
| 嘲笑 | cháo xiào | to laugh at; to mock |
| 逗你玩 | dòu nǐ wán | just messing with you |
| 毒舌 | dú shé | sharp-tongued |
| 嘴欠 | zuǐ qiàn | cheeky; can't help a dig |
| 自黑 | zì hēi | to make fun of yourself |
| 起外号 | qǐ wài hào | to give someone a nickname |
| 黑历史 | hēi lì shǐ | embarrassing past |
| 你行你上 | nǐ xíng nǐ shàng | if you're so good, you do it |
| 开不起玩笑 | kāi bu qǐ wán xiào | can't take a joke |
| 玩笑开大了 | wán xiào kāi dà le | the joke went too far |
Usage tips
- Teasing is for people you're close to; with colleagues, elders and new acquaintances Chinese social life leans polite, so save 互损 for good mates.
- 自黑 (zì hēi), poking fun at yourself, is widely appreciated and is the safest way to join in the banter before you know people well.
- 怼 (duǐ) is modern slang for hitting back verbally, and you'll often see it as 怼回去 (duǐ huí qu), to fire back.
Common mistakes
- Using 嘲笑 (cháo xiào) for friendly teasing: it means genuine mockery and sounds hurtful → for playful teasing say 损 (sǔn) or 开玩笑 (kāi wán xiào).
- Translating 损友 as "bad friend": it's usually affectionate → think "the mate who always takes the mickey", not someone you should avoid.
- Mixing up 外号 (wài hào) and 小名 (xiǎo míng): a 外号 is a nickname, often a teasing one from friends → the pet name your family uses is a 小名.
Mini dialogue
- A你今天穿得这么正式，要去相亲啊？Nǐ jīn tiān chuān de zhè me zhèng shì, yào qù xiāng qīn a?You're dressed up so smartly today, off on a blind date?
- B去你的！我有面试。Qù nǐ de! Wǒ yǒu miàn shì.Get away with you! I've got an interview.
- A逗你玩呢！不过你这条领带是你爸的吧？Dòu nǐ wán ne! Bù guò nǐ zhè tiáo lǐng dài shì nǐ bà de ba?Just messing with you! But that tie's your dad's, isn't it?
- B你这个损友，嘴真欠！Nǐ zhè ge sǔn yǒu, zuǐ zhēn qiàn!You're such a wind-up merchant, you can't resist a dig!
- A好啦好啦，加油，祝你成功！Hǎo la hǎo la, jiā yóu, zhù nǐ chéng gōng!All right, all right. Go for it, good luck!
Example sentences
- 他就喜欢损我。He loves taking the mickey out of me.
- 我们俩一见面就互损。We roast each other every time we meet.
- 他是我最好的损友。He's my best mate and my worst critic.
- 她直接怼了回去。She hit straight back.
- 我说错了，别取笑我了！I got it wrong, stop making fun of me!
- 别嘲笑别人的口音。Don't laugh at other people's accents.
- 别生气，逗你玩呢！Don't be cross, I'm just messing with you!
- 他是出了名的毒舌。He's famous for his sharp tongue.
- 我这人就是嘴欠。I just can't help making digs.
- 他很会自黑，大家都喜欢他。He's great at poking fun at himself, everyone likes him.
- 别给我起外号！Don't give me nicknames!
- 别提我的黑历史了！Don't bring up my embarrassing past!
- 别光说，你行你上啊！Stop talking, if you're so good, you have a go!
- 你怎么这么开不起玩笑？How come you can't take a joke?
- 对不起，玩笑开大了。Sorry, that joke went too far.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Teasing & roasting speaking island has 8 everyday questions about teasing & roasting to prepare your own answers to.