Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 俚語 / 俚语 | lǐyǔ |
| 行語 / 行语 | hángyǔ |
In Chinese, you can express the action of 'using slang' or 'speaking in slang' by using the verb 說 (shuō) with 俚語 / 俚语. There are also several specific examples of modern Chinese slang: 666 is used to describe something impressive or excellent. 吃瓜群众 (chī guā qún zhòng) literally means "melon-eating masses" and refers to spectators who watch and gossip about something happening to others. 买买买 (mǎi mǎi mǎi) is used to express the urge or excitement to go on a shopping spree. 撩 (liāo) means to flirt or tease someone romantically. And 抖机灵 (dǒu jī líng) refers to someone being witty or cunning.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 俚語 / 俚语 is composed of 俚 (vulgar/common/unrefined) and 語 (language/words).
Which one should you use?
俚語 / 俚语 is the standard term for 'slang', whereas 行語 / 行语 is a much less common, more archaic or specialized term for jargon or specific professional language.
How do you pronounce it?
lǐyǔ
Did you know?
- Modern internet slang in China often involves replacing characters with numbers that sound similar, such as using 520 (wǔ èr líng) to mean 'I love you' because it sounds like 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ).
- The slang term 屌 (diǎo), which literally refers to a male body part, is frequently used in a non-vulgar way to mean 'cool' or 'badass' among younger generations.
- While 俚語 (lǐyǔ) refers to general slang, the term 黑話 (hēihuà), which literally means 'black talk', is often used to describe the highly secretive slang used by specific subcultures or underground groups.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “slang” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
