Mandarin Slang: Chinese Internet Words Textbooks Skip
By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026
Textbooks teach you to order tea. They skip what to type when a friend pulls off something brilliant, or what everyone online is doing when a scandal breaks. This page is that Mandarin: the words people use with friends, in group chats and in comment sections.
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Tap the word for each moment.
A friend is about to sit an exam. Cheer them on.
You've just missed the last train home.
A friend has just fixed your computer in two minutes.
The whole set on one screen
| Word | Pinyin | Literally | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| niú | cow | brilliant, awesome | |
| 666 | liùliùliù | six six six | nice one (a slick move) |
| shuài | handsome | sharp, cool | |
| kù | cool (by sound) | cool | |
| yyds | yǒngyuǎn de shén | the eternal god | the best ever, the GOAT |
| gēmen | brothers | mate (between men) | |
| jiāyóu | add oil | go on, you can do it | |
| wándàn | the egg is done | done for, finished | |
| 瓜 | chīguā | eat melon | watch the drama, stay out |
| 平 | tǎngpíng | lie flat | opt out of the grind |
| 佛 | fóxì | Buddha-style | unbothered, whatever happens |
Who you can say each one to matters more than with most vocabulary:
- 加油jiāyóu: to a teacher, a team, a stranger
- 帅shuài: friends, colleagues
- 牛niú: friends
- 666 / yydscomment sections, gaming chat
Praise: 牛 (niú), 666, 帅 (shuài), 酷 (kù) and yyds
These are the compliments. (niú), (shuài) and (kù) are adjectives, so they take … (tài… le), (zhēn) or (hěn), like any other:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
！ | Nǐ tài niú le! | You're brilliant! |
。 | Zhège zhēn kù. | This is really cool. |
。 | Tā jīntiān hěn shuài. | He looks sharp today. |
yyds！ | Zhège yóuxì yyds! | This game is the best ever! |
A few things the table cannot show:
- 666 (liùliùliù) is typed, not said in a sentence. It is usually explained as an echo of
溜(liù), slick, which sounds like(liù), six, tripled for emphasis. (shuài) began as "handsome" for a man and now covers a good-looking anything: a car, a goal, a plan.(kù) is a sound loan of the English "cool".- yyds is short for
(yǒngyuǎn de shén), written as its pinyin initials. Online, the letters are the usual form.
Talking to your mates: 哥们 (gēmen) and 加油 (jiāyóu)
(gēmen) is mate, said between men, and said warmly. It is (gē), older brother, plus the plural (men), so literally "brothers". In the north it is often (gēmenr).
，！(Gēmen, zǒu ba!) - Come on, mate, let's go!
(jiāyóu), add oil, is one of the most useful words in the language: go on, you can do it, keep going. It fits an exam, a race, a team losing at half time, or a friend having a rough week, and it is safe with almost anyone:
，！(Míngtiān kǎoshì, jiāyóu!) - Exam tomorrow: good luck, you can do it!！(Nǐmen jiāyóu!) - Come on, you lot!
When it goes wrong, or you're just watching
These four describe a mood or a stance rather than praise someone:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
！ | Wándàn le! | I'm done for! |
瓜。 | Wǒ jiù shì lái chīguā de. | I'm only here to watch |
平。 | Zhōumò wǒ jiù tǎngpíng le. | This weekend I'm just lying flat |
佛。 | Tā hěn fóxì. | He's very laid-back about it |
What each one carries:
(wándàn): miss the last train, drop your phone in the sink.(wándàn le) says it in three syllables, with a rueful laugh in it.瓜(chīguā): often explained as the melon seeds people crack while they gossip.瓜众(chīguā qúnzhòng), the melon-eating masses, are everyone online watching a row with no stake in it.平(tǎngpíng): opting out of the promotion chase and the sixty-hour week. It caught on in 2021 and works both as a real stance and as a joke about doing nothing on a Sunday.佛(fóxì): Buddha-style, not a religious claim. A佛(fóxì) gamer does not mind losing. It sits close to平(tǎngpíng) but softer: a temperament, not a protest.
How they fit in a sentence
Slang still follows the grammar. (niú), (shuài), (kù) and 佛 (fóxì) are adjectives, so they take … (tài… le), (zhēn) or (hěn). 平 (tǎngpíng), 瓜 (chīguā) and (jiāyóu) are verbs, so they take (xiǎng), (zài) or (le):
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
！ | Nǐ zhēn niú! | You're amazing! |
佛。 | Tā hěn fóxì. | He's very laid-back |
平。 | Wǒ yě xiǎng tǎngpíng. | I want to lie flat too |
瓜。 | Dàjiā dōu zài chīguā. | Everyone's watching the drama |
And the register rule: none of this belongs in a job interview, a wedding speech or a chat with your partner's parents. (jiāyóu) is the exception. With friends, a well-placed (nǐ tài niú le) does more for how natural you sound than another month of textbook dialogues.
What to do next
- Do the drill below.
- Next time a friend does something impressive, say
(nǐ tài niú le). - Then learn the other end of the range: greetings and courtesies.