Chinese Slang, Jargon, and New Words from Double-Tongued Dictionary

Citations in the Category Chinese

All dialects and forms of Chinese, including those used in Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. You can also see entries assigned to this category.

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bang bang n. Yu has been working as a porter, called “Bang Bang” in the local dialect, for over a decade in the mountain city of Chongqing. “Bang Bang,” a somewhat discriminatory term, actually refers to the pole that a porter uses to carry things for citizens. [ Language Chinese Place China] [full cite] (Sep. 28, 2005)

interwang n. Many admit they do not even know the official Mandarin word for DVD or CD. The mixing up of languages is also increasing, with words such as “interwang”, which means internet, in common parlance. [Chinese Online Technology] [full cite] (May. 14, 2004)

jianzi n. Before classes started one recent morning, sixth-graders circled around an object dominated by neon-colored feathers. Cheers intensified as groups stretched their limbs to keep the small object from hitting the floor. The game is a modified version of jianzi, also known as Chinese hacky sack in the United States. [Chinese English Sports & Recreation] [full cite] (Jan. 16, 2007)

kiah su n. My favorite of these is “kiah su” which is Hokkien for “afraid to lose (out)” (Mandarin pa shu). Someone who is kiah su will go to great lengths to, for example, buy something they don’t really want, because it’s a good buy and a prestigious find. We need a word for this in standard English, though I’ve just started using kiah su. [Chinese Hokkien Singlish Singapore] [full cite] (Sep. 3, 2004)

linglei n. What happens when a booming consumer culture collides with an emerging counterculture? In China the result is linglei chic—advertising that associates products with the images of rebellion and individualism. The message is clear: buy me, and you too can be cool. [Chinese China] [full cite] (Jan. 18, 2005)

linglei n. Linglei (pronounced linglay)—or “alternative”—was once a critical, even pejorative, way of describing dissidents. [Chinese China] [full cite] (Jan. 18, 2005)

linglei n. Also unlike the young writers who are prone to present their rebellious attitudes and “linglei,” which is a word coined by Time magazine to describe China’s new young writers, Li Shasha showed he was a more mature writer. [Chinese China] [full cite] (Jan. 18, 2005)

red pole n. At one stage, he was said to be a “red pole,” the term for triad foot-soldiers who intimidate and injure. [Chinese English] [full cite] (Sep. 12, 2005)

tamade n. Ma works from a modest office in Beijing’s university district decorated with maps and model planes. He pointed out that the Chinese have a nickname for TMD, or Theater Missile Defense, an anti-missile system proposed by President Bush that might be used to defend allies such as Taiwan or American troops abroad. They call it “tamade,” a common swear word which roughly translates to “your mama.” [Chinese China] [full cite] (Jun. 14, 2005)

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