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Scene illustrating a Simplified Chinese-language casual street slang conversation

Key Phrases

吃土

chī tǔ

Broke (having no money)

打酱油

dǎ jiàng yóu

Mind one's own business

约吗

yuē ma

Hang out?

Skills You'll Learn

Understanding colloquial expressions in Chinese

理解中文中的口语表达

lǐ jiě zhōng wén zhōng de kǒu yǔ biǎo dá

Interpreting Chinese slang in social contexts

在社会语境中解释中文俚语

zài shè huì yǔ jìng zhōng jiě shì zhōng wén lǐ yǔ

Identifying cultural nuances in language

识别语言中的文化细微差别

shí bié yǔ yán zhōng de wén huà xì wēi chā bié

Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases

💸

吃土

chī tǔ

Broke (having no money)

💬 Literally means 'eat dirt'. Refers to having no money left after spending too much.

🇨🇳 Commonly used humorously to describe being broke after an online shopping spree.

See breakdown →
🌟

有戏

yǒu xì

Promising (hopeful situation)

💬 Directly translates to 'has a play/drama', indicating potential or promise.

🇨🇳 Often used in everyday conversations to express optimism about a plan or situation.

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😎

装逼

zhuāng bī

Show off (pretentious)

💬 A slang term for someone who is overly pretentious or act like a show-off.

🇨🇳 Commonly used among friends to poke fun at someone who's trying too hard to impress.

See breakdown →
🙈

打酱油

dǎ jiàng yóu

Mind one's own business

💬 Literally 'buying soy sauce'. Used to indicate someone is just passing by or doesn't care about the situation.

🇨🇳 Originated from a viral video of a man on the street saying he was just out to buy soy sauce, highlighting indifference.

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🤩

给力

gěi lì

Awesome (cool)

💬 Means 'give power'. A way to compliment something as being impressive.

🇨🇳 First popularized through internet forums and used widely in media campaigns to express enthusiasm.

See breakdown →

差不多

chà bù duō

Almost there

💬 Literally means 'not much difference'. Used to indicate something is adequate or satisfactory.

🇨🇳 Reflects a common cultural attitude of being content with 'good enough'.

See breakdown →
🌪️

神马都是浮云

shén mǎ dōu shì fú yún

Everything is fleeting

💬 Means 'everything is floating clouds'. Indicates that things are transient and not to be worried about.

🇨🇳 Frequently used to provide comfort under pressure or disappointment, reminding people of life's temporary nature.

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🗣️

腿毛长

tuǐ máo zhǎng

Busybody (gossiper)

💬 Translates to 'long leg hair'. Used to describe someone who meddles in others' affairs.

🇨🇳 A quirky way to characterize nosiness, associating unnecessary length (in leg hair) with unwelcome attention.

See breakdown →
🙄

坑爹

kēng diē

Ridiculous (unbelievable)

💬 Literally 'pit dad', suggesting something is ridiculously difficult or unreasonable.

🇨🇳 Commonly used to express frustration about a situation or person's actions that defy logic.

See breakdown →
🚀

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