Must Know Chinese Internet Slang (Elementary)

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The Internet is quickly establishing itself as the de facto media platform. This has led to a growing
culture that is distinct to online users and also rapidly spreads into our daily lives with China being no
exception. Chinese Internet slang, created by over half-a-billion netizens, has spread from electronic
communications into the life of the everyday Chinese citizen. This language creates a form of
expression popular for its conciseness, flare and humor infusing new life into the everyday mundane
language of the common folk.
The following are a few of the essential terms that were born online, but have become necessities for
swift and effective communication among Chinese netizens.

Acronym
Acronyms in Chinese are created by replacing the first Chinese character with the first letter used in its
pinyin spelling. This is similar to how in English we shorten United Nations to UN.
For examples:
GG means elder brother which is the simplification of the pinyin (gge). Other examples include JJ
which means elder sister (jijie) and MM for younger sister (mimei).
literally means the landlord of a building but the meaning has been expanded to refer to someone
who starts a BBS topic online. LZ is used to refer to the (luzh). Other Internet expressions
connected with buildings are (lushng) and (luxi), the former literally meaning upstairs, the
latter downstairs. For online chatting, LS and LX refer to those who have posted on a BBS topic before
and after you respectively.
Sometimes you might hear You have a bad RP. RP is a persons character or fortune which is the
acronym for (rnpn).

Homophones
Generally, there are three types in Chinese.
1. English connected

I love you in Chinese is (w i n). However, on the Internet, people prefer to say (i
loh yu) in which the pronunciation sounds very similar to the English I love you, even though the
four Chinese characters technically have nothing to do with I love you in meaning.
Other examples include Thank you whose Chinese homonym is (sn k yu), ok is (u
k) and baby is (bi b).
2. Number based
Number based homophones refer to replacing Chinese characters with an array of numbers.
You may have seen some people use 88 to say bye-bye when they end an online conversation. This is
an example of a number based homophone because the sound of 88 (b b) is similar with that of byebye.
555(w w w) is pronounced like the character (w) or (w w w) is the sound used to show
weeping.
I love you (w i n) is often pronounced and written 521(w r y); 1314 (y sn y s) expresses

the concept (y shng y sh), or a lifetime. By combining the two, some young people confess
their undying love for each other with 5211314 (w i n y shng y sh).
3. Combinations of numbers and letters
This is another group that sounds like its spoken English equivalent. Thank you is represented by 3Q,
and thanks by 3X. The only difference lies in the pronunciation of the word 3, which in Chinese pinyin
is (sn).

A mix of Chinese and English

First, it must be pointed out that this is not standard Chinese, but because these terms are so popular
we are compelled to include them here. For examples, case means a piece of cake; cool
means you are so cool; and I U means I admire you.
The word to word translation of color see see means give you some colors to see, however,
the exact meaning of the phrase is Ill teach you a lesson.

Extension of meaning
As society undergoes change, so do the meanings and usages of words, such as the Chinese word
(knglng). Originally a term for dinosaur, today is a very visual way to call a girl ugly.
(qngw) then, or frog, would be its male equivalent.
(bobi) in Chinese refers to precious things loved ones like the English baby. Now with the upsurge in online shopping, has taken on the new meaning of goods for sale on Tao Bao, an online
shopping website.

Evolution of words
(jn nn) is a standard word meaning handsome guy, but now people often use (jn nn).
Though it sounds identical to , its actually a more sarcastic way to say an ugly guy. (min)
has a similar usage with its standard words being (min), or beauty.
(dng dng) is the nickname of (dngx) which means stuff or goods and YY means (yfu)
clothes, both words created specifically by the online shoppers of Tao Bao.
These expressions are different from the slang that has long existed in recent history, mostly because
they have grown out of the soil of the Internet. We all know that the Internet will only grow and with it,
so will its influence on language.

Practice:
1. How can you say goodbye to your friend while chatting online?
A. 521

B. 555

C. 88

2. How do you express your love for your girlfriend?

A. (i loh yu)

C. cool

B. I U
Correct Answers: 1. C

D. (sn k yu)
2. A

D. 1314