1314
yīsānyīsì
forever (一生一世), literally “1314 = one life one world”
Sounds like 一生一世, a lifetime. The classic anniversary number: red envelopes of 131.4 or 1314 yuan say 'forever'.
521
wǔ'èryī
I love you (same idea as 520), literally “521 = wo ai ni”
May 21, the day after 5/20, is the second internet Valentine's. Some say 521 is 'I'm willing' 我愿意.
99
jiǔjiǔ
long-lasting (久久), literally “99 = jiu jiu”
Doubled nine for longevity. Under couple photos: 99 means 'may it last'.
999
jiǔjiǔjiǔ
forever forever forever, literally “999 = jiu cubed”
Triple nine: extra-long longevity blessing in chat.
77
qīqī
kiss kiss (亲亲), literally “77 = qin qin”
Sounds like 亲亲: the sign-off kiss. Also 七夕 shorthand in August.
五月二十号 五月二十號
wǔyuè èrshíhàoㄨˇ ㄩㄝˋ ㄦˋ ㄕˊ ㄏㄠˋ
May 20, internet Valentine's, literally “May 20th”
5/20 sounds like 我爱你: the day to confess, marry, or send 520 red envelopes.
十一月十一号 十一月十一號
shíyīyuè shíyīhàoㄕˊ ㄧ ㄩㄝˋ ㄕˊ ㄧ ㄏㄠˋ
November 11, Singles' Day, literally “11/11 four ones”
The four 1s = four singles: started as anti-Valentine's, became the world's biggest shopping day (双十一).
886
bābāliù
bye bye, literally “886 = bai bai le”
拜拜了, the classic early-internet sign-off. Shows up in texts and old QQ chat screenshots.
88
bābā
bye (also 'get rich'), literally “88 = bai bai”
Two meanings: 'bye-bye' in chat, and double-eight fortune. Context decides.
555
wǔwǔwǔ
crying (呜呜呜), literally “555 = wu wu wu”
Sounds like sobbing: 呜呜呜. Spam it when sad, or mock-sad.
2333
èrsānsānsān
laughing (emoji #233), literally “2333 = laughing hard”
From Mop's emoji #233, a rolling-laughing face. The 3s multiply the laugh, like 'hahaaa'.
94
jiǔsì
exactly / right (就是), literally “94 = jiu shi”
Sounds like 就是 'exactly': a quick agreement in text.
9494
jiǔsìjiǔsì
exactly exactly, literally “9494 = jiu shi jiu shi”
就是就是, emphatic agreement. Doubled for effect.
484
sìbāsì
is it or isn't it (是不是), literally “484 = shi bu shi”
Sounds like 是不是: the casual question tag.
7456
qīsìwǔliù
I'm furious (气死我了), literally “7456 = qi si wo le”
Sounds like 气死我了: rage in digits.
748
qīsìbā
go die (去死吧), literally “748 = qu si ba”
Sounds like 去死吧. Stronger than a joke between strangers; between friends it's mock-rage.
456
sìwǔliù
it's me (是我啦), literally “456 = shi wo la”
Sounds like 是我啦: 'it's me'. Used when someone asks who called.
596
wǔjiǔliù
I'm leaving (我走了), literally “596 = wo zou le”
Sounds like 我走了: the exit code.
847
bāsìqī
don't be mad (别生气), literally “847 = bie sheng qi”
Sounds like 别生气: the quick apology.
518
wǔyāobā
I want to prosper (我要发), literally “518 = wo yao fa”
Sounds like 我要发: 'I want to get rich'. A number people pay extra for.
168
yāoliùbā
prosper all the way (一路发), literally “168 = yi lu fa”
Sounds like 一路发: 'fortune the whole way'. Premium phone numbers and hotel rooms.
888
bābābā
triple fortune (发发发), literally “888 = fa fa fa”
The king number: 8 sounds like 发 'prosper'. 888车牌 is worth real money.
sìㄙˋ
four: the unlucky number, literally “4 = si (death)”
Sounds like 死 'die': buildings skip the 4th floor, hospitals skip room 4, and no one gives four of anything.
bāㄅㄚ
eight: prosperity, literally “8 = fa (prosper)”
Sounds like 发 'get rich': Beijing opened the Olympics on 8/8/08 at 8:08pm for a reason.
liùㄌㄧㄡˋ
six: smooth going, literally “6 = liu (smooth)”
Sounds like 溜/顺 'smooth': 六六大顺 is the blessing. Also 666 in gaming.
jiǔㄐㄧㄡˇ
nine: longevity, literally “9 = jiu (long-lasting)”
Sounds like 久 'long time': the emperor's number, the anniversary blessing.
shísāndiǎnㄕˊ ㄙㄢ ㄉㄧㄢˇ
crazy / cracked (Shanghainese), literally “thirteen o'clock”
A clock that strikes thirteen is broken: Shanghai slang for someone not right in the head, fond-mocking register.
èrㄦˋ
two: silly / goofy, literally “2 = silly”
北方 slang: 二 alone means adorably dumb, goofy. 真二 'so silly'. Affectionate mockery.
二货 二貨
èrhuòㄦˋ ㄏㄨㄛˋ
silly goose / dummy (affectionate), literally “two goods”
A lovable idiot: harsher than 二 alone but usually fond.
18层 18層
shíbācéng18 ㄘㄥˊ
18 floors (hell), literally “18th floor = hell”
The 18 levels of Buddhist hell: some buildings skip the 18th floor like Western ones skip 13.
七月半
qīyuèbànㄑㄧ ㄩㄝˋ ㄅㄢˋ
Ghost Festival (mid-7th lunar month), literally “mid seventh month”
The Hungry Ghost Festival: don't swim, don't stay out late, ghosts walk.
dàniánsānshíㄉㄚˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ
Chinese New Year's Eve, literally “big year thirty”
The 30th of the last month: reunion dinner night.
995
jiǔjiǔwǔ
9am-9pm, 5 days a week, literally “9-9-5 schedule”
The lighter sibling of 996: still brutal by Western standards, praised as 'reasonable' in tech.
007
línglíngqī
midnight to midnight, 7 days, literally “0-0-7 schedule”
The parody work schedule beyond 996: never off. Also the James Bond joke, both meanings live.
985
jiǔbāwǔ
elite university tier, literally “Project 985”
The top-39 universities list (May 1998 project). '985毕业' signals pedigree; '985废物' is the burnout meme.
211
èryāoyāo
second-tier elite university, literally “Project 211”
The 100-school tier below 985: still a resume filter keyword.
1024
yīlíngèrsì
Programmers' Day (October 24), literally “1024 = 2^10”
October 24th is Programmer's Day: 1024 = 2^10, the closest round number to 1000. Companies give程序员 gifts.
四六级 四六級
sìliùjíㄙˋ ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄐㄧˊ
CET-4 and CET-6 English exams, literally “level 4 level 6”
The national English tests: passing both is a baseline resume line for Chinese grads.
九块九 九塊九
jiǔkuàijiǔㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄎㄨㄞˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ
9.9 yuan (budget price point), literally “nine nine”
The iconic e-commerce price: '9.9包邮' means cheap shipping-included goods.
谐音梗 諧音梗
xiéyīn gěngㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄧㄣ ㄍㄥˇ
homophone pun, literally “harmonious-sound meme”
The whole genre: Chinese's limited syllable count makes it a pun machine. 谐音梗扣钱 jokes that puns are cheap laughs.
雨女无瓜 雨女無瓜
yǔ nǚ wú guāㄩˇ ㄋㄩˇ ㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄚ
none of your business (与你无关), literally “rain woman no melon”
Mishearing of 与你无关 from a kids' show actor's accent: 'rain-woman-no-melon'. Deliberately wrong characters are the point.
蓝瘦香菇 藍瘦香菇
lán shòu xiānggūㄌㄢˊ ㄕㄡˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄍㄨ
sad, want to cry (难受想哭), literally “blue skinny mushroom”
A Guangxi accent rendered 难受想哭 as 'blue skinny mushroom': it went viral precisely because it's nonsense.
jíměiㄐㄧˊ ㄇㄟˇ
sisters (姐妹), literally “gather beautiful”
Livestreamer's pronunciation of 姐妹: now the girlhood address, like 'girlies'.
夺笋 奪筍
duó sǔnㄉㄨㄛˊ ㄙㄨㄣˇ
so mean (多损), literally “grab bamboo shoots”
Stealing bamboo shoots = 多损呐 'how mean'. The 熊猫 meme made it visual: stealing a panda's food.
蚌埠住了
Bèngbù zhù leㄅㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄨˋ ㄌㄜ˙
can't hold it in (绷不住了), literally “Bengbu (city) is stuck”
The city of Bengbu, Anhui, puns on 绷不住 'can't hold it': cracking up or losing composure.
芜湖起飞 蕪湖起飛
Wúhú qǐfēiㄨˊ ㄏㄨˊ ㄑㄧˇ ㄈㄟ
woo-hoo, taking off (呜呼), literally “Wuhu (city) takes flight”
The city Wuhu puns on 呜呼: excitement shouted in streams, the city name became the meme.
酱紫 醬紫
jiàngzǐㄐㄧㄤˋ ㄗˇ
like this (这样子), literally “sauce purple”
这样子 slurred into 酱紫: classic cute-typing from the 2000s chat era.
xīfànㄒㄧ ㄈㄢˋ
to like (喜欢), literally “rice porridge”
喜欢 typed cute as 'porridge': the sweet-talk register.
蓝朋友 藍朋友
lán péngyouㄌㄢˊ ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡ˙
boyfriend (男朋友), literally “blue friend”
男朋友 → 'blue friend': also the firefighter meme (their uniform is blue). Double meaning.
男票
nánpíàoㄋㄢˊ ㄆㄧㄠˊ
boyfriend (男朋友 → 男票), literally “boy ticket”
男朋友 abbreviated to 男票 'boy-ticket': sounds identical, writes like a joke.
大猪蹄子 大豬蹄子
dà zhūtíziㄉㄚˋ ㄓㄨ ㄊㄧˊ ㄗ˙
men are pigs (男人们大猪蹄子), literally “big pig trotter”
From the Story of Yanxi Palace meme: 男人都是大猪蹄子 'all men are pig trotters', women scolding unfaithful men.
杯具
bēijùㄅㄟ ㄐㄩˋ
tragedy (悲剧), literally “cup ware”
The famous 2009 pun: 人生就像茶几，上面摆满了杯具 'life is a tea table covered in cups (tragedies)'.
chájīㄔㄚˊ ㄐㄧ
life's stage of disasters, literally “tea table”
From the cup-pun meme: the table where 杯具 tragedies sit.
yālíㄧㄚ ㄌㄧˊ
stress (压力), literally “duck pear”
压力 → 'duck pear': '压力很大' becomes '鸭梨山大', pressure as big as a mountain.
蒜你狠
suàn nǐ hěnㄙㄨㄢˋ ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄣˇ
garlic-you-ruthless (算你狠), literally “garlic you ruthless”
The 2010 inflation-pun series: when garlic prices spiked, 蒜你狠 riffed on 算你狠 'you win'.
豆你玩
dòu nǐ wánㄉㄡˋ ㄋㄧˇ ㄨㄢˊ
beans are teasing you (逗你玩), literally “beans you play”
When mung bean prices spiked: 豆你玩 'the beans are toying with you' (逗你玩).
姜你军 姜你軍
jiāng nǐ jūnㄐㄧㄤ ㄋㄧˇ ㄐㄩㄣ
ginger checkmates you (将你一军), literally “ginger you army”
The ginger-price spike: 将你一军 'checkmate' became 姜你军 'ginger wins'.
苹什么 蘋什麼
píng shénmeㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄕㄣˊ ㄇㄜ˙
why on earth (凭什么), literally “apple what”
When apples got expensive: 凭什么 'on what grounds' became 苹什么 'apple-what'.
糖高宗
Táng Gāozōngㄊㄤˊ ㄍㄠ ㄗㄨㄥ
Sugar Emperor (唐高宗), literally “Sugar High-Ancestor”
When sugar spiked, the Tang emperor 唐高宗 became 糖高宗 'Sugar Gaozong'.
煤超疯 煤超瘋
méi chāofēngㄇㄟˊ ㄔㄠ ㄈㄥ
coal super-crazy (梅超风), literally “coal super mad”
The coal-price pun on 梅超风, the insane kung-fu villainess: markets going mad.
油他去
yóu tā qùㄧㄡˊ ㄊㄚ ㄑㄩˋ
let it go (由他去), literally “oil it go”
The fuel-price pun: 由他去 'let it be' became 油他去 'let the oil go'.
年年有鱼 年年有魚
niánnián yǒu yúㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄩˊ
fish every year (年年有余), literally “year year have fish”
The New Year pun that makes fish mandatory at dinner: 鱼 puns 余 'surplus', eat fish, keep surplus.
枣生桂子 棗生桂子
zǎo shēng guìzǐㄗㄠˇ ㄕㄥ ㄍㄨㄟˋ ㄗˇ
soon bear noble sons (早生贵子), literally “jujube birth cinnamon child”
The wedding-bed pun: dates 枣, peanuts 生, longans 桂, and lotus seeds 子 scattered for 'soon bear noble sons' 早生贵子.
福到
fú dàoㄈㄨˊ ㄉㄠˋ
fortune arrives (福 upside-down), literally “fortune arrives/inverted”
The upside-down 福: 倒 'inverted' puns 到 'arrive', so hanging it upside down means fortune arrives.
马上封侯 馬上封侯
mǎshàng fēnghóuㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄤˋ ㄈㄥ ㄏㄡˊ
a monkey on a horse: instant promotion, literally “on horse enfeoffed marquis”
The pun-image: monkey 猴 = 侯 marquis, on 马上 = immediately. A carved monkey-on-horse is a promotion charm.
biānfúㄅㄧㄢ ㄈㄨˊ
bat: the fortune animal, literally “bat = fu”
蝠 puns 福 'fortune': five bats 五福临门 on door lintels. Western horror, Chinese blessing.
lùㄌㄨˋ
deer: official salary (禄), literally “deer = lu (salary)”
鹿 puns 禄 'official salary': deer paintings mean career success.
báicàiㄅㄞˊ ㄘㄞˋ
cabbage: hundred wealth (百财), literally “white cabbage = bai cai”
菜 puns 财 'wealth': a jade cabbage is a 'hundred wealth' ornament, and '白菜价' is dirt cheap.
fàcàiㄈㄚˋ ㄘㄞˋ
hair vegetable: get rich (发财), literally “hair vegetable = fa cai”
A black algae that looks like hair, puns 发财 'get rich': Lunar New Year banquet staple.
tāngyuánㄊㄤ ㄩㄢˊ
glutinous balls: family reunion (团圆), literally “soup round = reunion”
Puns 团圆 'reunion': eaten at Lantern Festival and Winter Solstice, the family-wholeness food.
送钟 送鍾
sòng zhōngㄙㄨㄥˋ ㄓㄨㄥ
giving a clock: attending a funeral (送终), literally “give clock = send off dying”
The deadliest gift taboo: 送钟 puns 送终 'burying a parent'. Never gift a clock.
送伞 送傘
sòng sǎnㄙㄨㄥˋ ㄙㄢˇ
giving an umbrella: breakup (散), literally “give umbrella = scatter”
伞 puns 散 'disperse': lovers never give umbrellas.
分梨
fēn líㄈㄣ ㄌㄧˊ
splitting a pear: separation (分离), literally “split pear = part”
梨 puns 离 'leave': couples and families never split one pear.
送鞋
sòng xiéㄙㄨㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄝˊ
giving shoes: walking away (邪/走), literally “give shoes = evil/leave”
鞋 puns 邪 'evil' and suggests the recipient walks away. A breakup gift.
正月剃头 正月剃頭
zhēngyuè tìtóuㄓㄥ ㄩㄝˋ ㄊㄧˋ ㄊㄡˊ
haircut in the first month: kills your uncle, literally “first-month haircut kills uncle”
死舅 'dead uncle' is folk etymology for 思旧 'remembering the old (Ming)': the taboo is real, the reasoning is a pun gone wrong.
可口可乐 可口可樂
Kěkǒu Kělèㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄡˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄌㄜˋ
Coca-Cola: tasty and joyful, literally “can mouth can joy”
The gold-standard transliteration: sounds like Coke AND means 'delicious happiness'. The failed earlier name read 蝌蝌啃蜡 'tadpoles gnawing wax'.
露华浓 露華濃
Lùhuánóngㄌㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄚˊ ㄋㄨㄥˊ
Revlon: dew-brightened bloom, literally “dew splendor thick”
Lifted from Li Bai's poem about imperial beauty: 'dew makes the flower rich'. The most poetic brand name ever.
宜家
Yíjiāㄧˊ ㄐㄧㄚ
IKEA: fitting for home, literally “befits home”
From the Book of Songs 宜室宜家 'the home is harmonious': sounds like IKEA, means domestic bliss.
Bǎomǎㄅㄠˇ ㄇㄚˇ
BMW: precious horse, literally “treasure horse”
Sounds like BMW, means 'treasure horse': the ancient term for a noble steed. Status on four wheels.
Bēnchíㄅㄣ ㄔˊ
Mercedes-Benz: galloping speed, literally “run fast”
Sounds like Benz, means 'gallop': pure velocity.
家乐福 家樂福
Jiālèfúㄐㄧㄚ ㄌㄜˋ ㄈㄨˊ
Carrefour: family joy and fortune, literally “home joy fortune”
Sounds like Carrefour, means 'family happiness and luck': grocery shopping as blessing.
舒肤佳 舒膚佳
Shūfūjiāㄕㄨ ㄈㄨ ㄐㄧㄚ
Safeguard: skin comfort supreme, literally “comfort skin excellent”
Sounds like Safeguard, promises 'comfortable skin, excellent': soap that sells itself.
帮宝适 幫寶適
Bāngbǎoshìㄅㄤ ㄅㄠˇ ㄕˋ
Pampers: helps baby feel comfy, literally “help treasure comfortable”
Sounds like Pampers, reads 'helps baby be comfortable': the diaper name.
汰渍 汰漬
Tàizìㄊㄞˋ ㄗˋ
Tide: washing out stains, literally “wash stains”
Sounds like Tide, means 'wash away stains': detergent that explains itself.
高露洁 高露潔
Gāolùjiéㄍㄠ ㄌㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄝˊ
Colgate: high dew clean, literally “high dew clean”
Sounds like Colgate, promises 'revealing cleanliness': the toothpaste aisle regular.
赛百味 賽百味
Sàibǎiwèiㄙㄞˋ ㄅㄞˇ ㄨㄟˋ
Subway: beats a hundred flavors, literally “surpass hundred tastes”
Sounds like Subway, boasts 'surpasses a hundred flavors': competitive branding.
伟哥 偉哥
Wěigēㄨㄟˇ ㄍㄜ
Viagra: great brother, literally “great brother”
Viagra's market name: sounds close, means 'virile big brother'. Became the generic word for the drug.
披萨 披薩
pīsàㄆㄧ ㄙㄚˋ
pizza, literally “phonetic only”
Pure sound: 披 'drape' + 萨 'a Buddha syllable'. The transliteration where meaning was sacrificed.
shāfāㄕㄚ ㄈㄚ
sofa / first forum comment, literally “sand hair”
Sounds like 'sofa' AND internet slang for 'first comment' (from English 'sofa' = first post seat).
hēikèㄏㄟ ㄎㄜˋ
hacker, literally “black guest”
Sounds like 'hack', means 'black guest': accidentally perfect, since a hacker IS a dark visitor.
jiāniánhuáㄐㄧㄚ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄨㄚˊ
carnival, literally “excellent year splendor”
Sounds like 'carnival', reads 'fine year of splendor': every mall event uses it now.
tuōkǒuxiùㄊㄨㄛ ㄎㄡˇ ㄒㄧㄡˋ
talk show, literally “off mouth show”
Sounds like 'talk show', reads 'off-the-mouth show': stand-up's Chinese name.
伊妹儿 伊妹兒
yīmèi'érㄧ ㄇㄟˋ ㄦˊ
email, literally “she little sister”
Sounds like 'e-mail', spelled like 'her little sister': a dated 90s cuteness.
wéitāmìngㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄚ ㄇㄧㄥˋ
vitamin, literally “maintain his life”
Sounds like 'vitamin', reads 'maintains life': accidental accuracy.
xiēsīdǐlǐㄒㄧㄝ ㄙ ㄉㄧˇ ㄌㄧˇ
hysterical, literally “phonetic only”
Sounds like 'hysteria', pure phonetics: the chengyu that's actually a loanword.
在吗 在嗎
zài maㄗㄞˋ ㄇㄚ˙
are you there, literally “are you there?”
The message everyone dreads: a bare 在吗 with nothing after it usually precedes a favor request. Netizens joke it's the scariest two characters in Chinese.
秒回
miǎohuíㄇㄧㄠˇ ㄏㄨㄟˊ
instant reply, literally “second reply”
Replying in seconds: the proof of care in relationships, or proof you're always on your phone.
已读不回 已讀不回
yǐdú bùhuíㄧˇ ㄉㄨˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄟˊ
read but didn't reply, literally “read no reply”
The digital cold shoulder: WeChat doesn't show read receipts, but QQ and work apps do.
意念回复 意念回覆
yìniàn huífùㄧˋ ㄋㄧㄢˋ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄈㄨˋ
replied in my head, literally “telepathic reply”
I read it, mentally answered, and forgot to actually send. The universal excuse.
hēhēㄏㄜ ㄏㄜ
heh (cold laugh), literally “heh heh”
Once a normal laugh, now ice-cold: sarcasm, dismissal, or quiet contempt. The most passive-aggressive two characters.
hāhāㄏㄚ ㄏㄚ
ha ha (minimal laugh), literally “ha ha”
The length ladder: 哈 is curt, 哈哈 polite, 哈哈哈 real amusement, 哈哈哈哈哈哈 means actually laughing. Count the syllables.
笑死
xiàosǐㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄙˇ
dying of laughter, literally “laugh die”
The standard LOL: 笑死了. Intensifies to 笑不活了 'can't breathe'.
òㄛˋ
oh (icy), literally “oh”
One-character reply energy: cold, uninterested, or annoyed. Never send just 哦 to someone you like.
去洗澡了
qù xǐzǎo leㄑㄩˋ ㄒㄧˇ ㄗㄠˇ ㄌㄜ˙
going to shower (ditching you), literally “went to shower”
The classic graceful exit: the shower that never ends, the dinner that never gets eaten.
长语音 長語音
cháng yǔyīnㄔㄤˊ ㄩˇ ㄧㄣ
long voice messages, literally “long voice”
Sending 60-second voice strings is the #1 texting sin: can't be skimmed, can't be searched.
晚安帖
wǎn'ān tiēㄨㄢˇ ㄢ ㄊㄧㄝ
goodnight post, literally “goodnight post”
The nightly group ritual: sunset photos, flowers, and 'sweet dreams friend' in sparkly text.
鸡汤文 雞湯文
jītāngwénㄐㄧ ㄊㄤ ㄨㄣˊ
chicken-soup article (inspirational fluff), literally “chicken soup text”
The forwarded positivity spam: '心灵鸡汤' articles with soft-focus sunsets and empty wisdom.
早安打卡
zǎo'ān dǎkǎㄗㄠˇ ㄢ ㄉㄚˇ ㄎㄚˇ
morning check-in, literally “morning punch-card”
The daily '早安' message: proof of life in the family group.
在忙
zài mángㄗㄞˋ ㄇㄤˊ
busy (brush-off), literally “am busy”
The polite stall: could be true, usually means 'not now, maybe never'.
下次一定
xiàcì yīdìngㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄘˋ ㄧ ㄉㄧㄥˋ
next time for sure, literally “next time definitely”
The soft decline: 'we should get together sometime' energy, universal vaporware.
尊嘟假嘟
zūndū jiǎdūㄗㄨㄣ ㄉㄨ ㄐㄧㄚˇ ㄉㄨ
really? (真的假的), literally “honored-du fake-du”
真的假的 baby-talked into cuteness: 'for real?'. From a streamer, now everywhere.
硬控
yìngkòngㄧㄥˋ ㄎㄨㄥˋ
hard CC / irresistibly captivated, literally “hard control”
From MOBA games (hard crowd-control): '这个视频硬控我三分钟' = couldn't stop watching.
xswl
xiàosǐwǒle
laughing to death (笑死我了), literally “xswl = laugh-dead-me”
Initials of 笑死我了: the standard reply to anything funny.
nsdd
nǐshuōdeduì
you're right (你说得对), literally “nsdd = you speak right”
Initials of 你说得对: quick agreement, or the sarcastic 'sure, whatever you say' when it ends an argument.
u1s1
yǒuyīshuōyī
to be honest (有一说一), literally “u1s1 = have one say one”
有一说一 'speaking honestly': the preface for a blunt take.
dbq
duìbùqǐ
sorry (对不起), literally “dbq = sorry”
Initials of 对不起: casual apology.
bhys
bùhǎoyìsi
sorry to bother (不好意思), literally “bhys = embarrassed”
Initials of 不好意思: the soft-open apology.
gkd
gǎokuǎidiǎn
hurry up (搞快点), literally “gkd = hurry”
搞快点 'make it faster': impatience in three letters.
awsl
à wǒ sǐ le
I'm dead (啊我死了), literally “awsl = ah I'm dead”
啊我死了: killed by cuteness, usually for pets and idols.
zqsg
zhēnqíngshígǎn
genuine feelings (真情实感), literally “zqsg = true feelings”
真情实感: sincerely invested, usually about fandom. 'zqsg追星' = really emotionally invested in a star.
srds
suīrándànshì
although (虽然但是), literally “srds = although but”
虽然但是 'although... but': the concessive hedge.
nbcs
nobody cares
nobody cares, literally “nbcs = nobody cares”
An English acronym absorbed into Chinese chat: 'that doesn't matter'.
pyq
péngyouquān
WeChat Moments (朋友圈), literally “pyq = friends circle”
Initials of 朋友圈: 'pyq看到' = 'saw it on Moments'.
blx
bōlixīn
fragile heart (玻璃心), literally “blx = glass heart”
玻璃心: can't take criticism, breaks like glass.
yjgj
yǒujùjiǎngjù
speaking frankly (有句讲句), literally “yjgj = one sentence says”
有句讲句 'to put it bluntly': preface for straight talk.
tql
tàiqiángle
so strong (太强了), literally “tql = too strong”
太强了: praise for skill, and the sarcastic 'wow, impressive' for audacity.
wēixiàoㄨㄟ ㄒㄧㄠˋ
the 🙂 emoji: passive aggression, literally “smile”
The most dangerous emoji: the default smile face reads as cold contempt to young people, genuine friendliness to your parents' generation.
死亡微笑
sǐwáng wēixiàoㄙˇ ㄨㄤˊ ㄨㄟ ㄒㄧㄠˋ
the death smile 🙂, literally “death smile”
The nickname for the WeChat smile emoji: polite on the surface, murderous underneath.
zàijiànㄗㄞˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ
the 👋 wave emoji: actually means 'we're done', literally “goodbye wave”
Gen Z reads the wave emoji as 'get lost', not 'bye for now'.
狗头保命 狗頭保命
gǒutóu bǎomìngㄍㄡˇ ㄊㄡˊ ㄅㄠˇ ㄇㄧㄥˋ
doge emoji = 'just kidding, don't kill me', literally “dog head saves life”
Adding 🐶 to a spicy take signals irony: 'this is a joke, please don't come for me'.
捂脸 捂臉
wǔliǎnㄨˇ ㄌㄧㄢˇ
facepalm 🤦 emoji, literally “cover face”
The most-used WeChat emoji ever: covering the face in amused embarrassment.
中老年表情包
zhōnglǎonián biǎoqíngbāoㄓㄨㄥ ㄌㄠˇ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄧㄠˇ ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄠ
boomer stickers: roses, handshakes, teacups, literally “middle-aged emoji pack”
The visual dialect of Chinese parents: glittering text, flowers that bloom, 'good morning friend' GIFs with doves.
玫瑰握手抱拳
méiguī wòshǒu bàoquánㄇㄟˊ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄨㄛˋ ㄕㄡˇ ㄅㄠˋ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
the boomer emoji trinity 🌹🤝🙏, literally “rose handshake fist”
The three emojis your parents' generation sends: 🌹 appreciation, 🤝 agreement, 🙏 thanks. You can read age from emoji habits.
表情包
biǎoqíngbāoㄅㄧㄠˇ ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄠ
sticker / meme pack, literally “expression pack”
The image-meme economy: entire conversations happen in 表情包 alone.
斗图 鬥圖
dòutúㄉㄡˋ ㄊㄨˊ
sticker war, literally “fight pictures”
Duelling with reaction images instead of words: whoever runs out of memes first loses.
chèhuíㄔㄜˋ ㄏㄨㄟˊ
unsend a message, literally “withdraw”
WeChat lets you recall within 2 minutes: '对方撤回了一条消息' is the most suspicious notification on the platform.
拍一拍
pāi yī pāiㄆㄞ ㄧ ㄆㄞ
nudge (double-tap a profile), literally “pat a pat”
WeChat's poke: 'XXX拍了拍你' notifies a gentle tap, customizable to '拍了拍我的肩膀说辛苦了'.
群聊
qúnliáoㄑㄩㄣˊ ㄌㄧㄠˊ
group chat, literally “group chat”
The social fabric: family groups, work groups, class groups, 拼单 groups for everything.
朋友圈
péngyouquānㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡ˙ ㄑㄩㄢ
WeChat Moments, literally “friends circle”
The walled feed: post your life for friends only, three days' visibility optional.
三天可见 三天可見
sāntiān kějiànㄙㄢ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄎㄜˇ ㄐㄧㄢˋ
only three days of Moments visible, literally “three days visible”
The privacy setting: hiding your history from new friends or nosy relatives. '朋友圈三天可见' is a statement.
点赞 點贊
diǎnzànㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄗㄢˋ
like (the button), literally “tap like”
Social currency: 求点赞 is begging for engagement.
发红包 發紅包
fā hóngbāoㄈㄚ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄠ
send a red envelope, literally “send red envelope”
The money-transfer that is also a social game: group red packets get grabbed in seconds.
抢红包 搶紅包
qiǎng hóngbāoㄑㄧㄤˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄠ
grab a red envelope, literally “snatch red envelope”
Speed-clicking a group red packet: '手气最佳' goes to whoever grabs the most.
手气最佳 手氣最佳
shǒuqì zuìjiāㄕㄡˇ ㄑㄧˋ ㄗㄨㄟˋ ㄐㄧㄚ
best luck grabber, literally “hand-luck best”
The luckiest grab in a random-split red packet: by convention, they send the next one.
zhuǎnzhàngㄓㄨㄢˇ ㄓㄤˋ
transfer money, literally “transfer account”
Serious money goes by transfer: 1314 and 520 amounts are romantic statements.
拉黑
lāhēiㄌㄚ ㄏㄟ
block someone, literally “pull black”
The social kill: '被拉黑了' means you're dead to them.
删除好友 刪除好友
shānchú hǎoyǒuㄕㄢ ㄔㄨˊ ㄏㄠˇ ㄧㄡˇ
delete a friend, literally “delete friend”
The softer cut: they can still message you, unlike blocking.
置顶 置頂
zhìdǐngㄓˋ ㄉㄧㄥˇ
pin to top, literally “place top”
Pinning a chat: who you pin says everything about priority.
免打扰 免打擾
miǎndǎrǎoㄇㄧㄢˇ ㄉㄚˇ ㄖㄠˇ
mute (do not disturb), literally “avoid disturbance”
Muting the family group without leaving it: survival tech.
砍一刀
kǎn yīdāoㄎㄢˇ ㄧ ㄉㄠ
'cut one knife': the Pinduoduo beg, literally “cut one knife”
The viral social spam: friends slash your price by a few cents each. '帮我砍一刀' is the message everyone hates to send.
集赞 集贊
jí zànㄐㄧˊ ㄗㄢˋ
collect likes (for rewards), literally “gather likes”
Marketing that trades your friends' likes for freebies: 'collect 88 likes for a free cake'.
微商
wēishāngㄨㄟ ㄕㄤ
WeChat seller (MLM-tier commerce), literally “micro business”
Selling through Moments: sometimes legit small business, often pyramid-scheme cosmetics.
扫一扫 掃一掃
sǎo yī sǎoㄙㄠˇ ㄧ ㄙㄠˇ
scan a QR code, literally “sweep a sweep”
The national handshake: add friends, pay bills, unlock bikes, all via QR.
公众号 公眾號
gōngzhònghàoㄍㄨㄥ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄏㄠˋ
WeChat official account, literally “public account”
The content channel layer: brands, media, and every institution lives here.
小程序
xiǎochéngxùㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄒㄩˋ
mini program, literally “small program”
Apps inside WeChat: order food, pay utilities, no download needed.
微信步数 微信步數
Wēixìn bùshùㄨㄟ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄨˋ
WeChat step count, literally “WeChat steps”
The leaderboard that outs lazy weekends and proves grandma walks more than you.