Chinese meme & slang encyclopedia
The memes and slang people in China still use online, from 2008 to now. Each page says what the word or meme means, where it came from and how people use it today, with example sentences, pinyin and audio.
The pictures are our own drawings of 灯灯, the Dengdeng mascot, acting out each meme.
198 memes
2026
2025
爱你老己Love you, old self
冷不丁梆梆就两拳Bang bang, two punches out of nowhere
从夯到拉From the best to the worst
当个事儿办Treat it as real business
高雅人士A refined person
何意味What’s that supposed to mean?
活人微死Alive, but a little dead
××基础，××不基础If X is basic, Y isn’t
技能五子棋Skill gomoku
敬自己一杯A toast to myself
浪浪山小妖怪The little monster of Langlang Mountain
老式人类Old-fashioned human
如何呢又能怎So what? What can I do?
数字游民Digital nomad
苏超Jiangsu Super League (the city football league)
蒜鸟蒜鸟Forget it, forget it
邪修Unorthodox cultivator (a weird hack that works)
预制××Pre-made X
蒸蚌Great job! (spelled “steamed clam”)
助我破鼎Help me break the cauldron
做完你的做你的Yours, then yours (one order at a time)
2024
班味Work smell
包××的Guaranteed (X)
草台班子A makeshift troupe
抽象Absurd (literally “abstract”)
City不CityCity or not city?
古希腊掌管××的神The ancient Greek god of X
谷子Merch (from English “goods”)
含金量还在上升Its worth is still going up
红温Red-hot (fuming)
活人感Feeling like a real person
来财Let the money come
马面裙Horse-face skirt
没福硬享Treat yourself anyway
那咋了So what?
牛马Workhorse (literally “oxen and horses”)
偏偏你最争气And you were the one who came through
水灵灵地Fresh and bright (just like that)
天命人The Destined One
痛包Ita-bag (a “pain bag” of fan badges)
偷感A sneaky vibe
外耗Outer drain
已老实，求放过I’ll behave now, please let me go
硬控Hard control (it froze me)
主理人Curator (the trendy shop owner)
自己吓自己Scaring yourself
2023
纯爱战神Pure-love war god
citywalkCity walk
村超Village Super League
搭子Activity buddy
多巴胺穿搭Dopamine dressing
公主请Princess, please …
哈基米Hachimi (a cute cat)
i人/e人Introverts and extroverts
家人们谁懂啊Folks, who gets it?
孔乙己文学Kong Yiji literature
吗喽Worker monkey
命运的齿轮开始转动The gears of fate begin to turn
配享太庙Worthy of the imperial temple
情绪价值Emotional value
鼠鼠Little mouse (me, the loser)
双向奔赴Both sides moving toward each other
泰裤辣So cool
特种兵旅游Special-forces travel
听劝Open to advice
显眼包Lovable show-off
小孩哥Kid bro (a very capable child)
南方小土豆Little southern potatoes
新中式New Chinese style
主打一个The whole point is …
淄博烧烤Zibo barbecue
尊嘟假嘟Really or not?
2022
芭比Q了Barbecued (it’s over)
摆烂Letting it rot
大冤种Big sucker
电子榨菜Electronic pickles (shows to eat with)
Emotional damageEmotional damage
发疯文学Going-crazy literature
反向旅游Reverse travel
服了你个老六You sneaky one
精神离职Quitting in spirit
精神内耗Mental drain
栓QThank you (not)
松弛感A sense of ease
我真的会谢Thanks a lot (not)
雪糕刺客Ice-cream assassin
烟火气The feel of everyday life
一种很新的A very new kind of …
优雅Elegant
整活Pull a stunt for laughs
嘴替Mouth double
2021
卑微文学Humble literature
蚌埠住了Can’t hold it in
夺笋How mean (a bamboo-shoot pun)
emoFeeling down
鸡娃Pushing your kid hard
绝绝子Absolutely amazing
疯狂星期四KFC Crazy Thursday
破防Defenses broken
社牛Socially fearless
躺平Lying flat
我看不懂，但我大受震撼I don’t get it, but I’m in awe
伤害性不高，侮辱性极强Low damage, high insult
小丑竟是我自己The clown was me
野性消费Wild spending
一整个爱住Totally in love with it
yydsForever a god (GOAT)
2020
打工人Working stiff
秋天的第一杯奶茶The first milk tea of autumn
凡尔赛Versailles (the humble brag)
干饭人Serious eater
好家伙Wow, good grief
后浪The waves behind (the younger generation)
集美Sis (said with an accent)
禁止套娃No nesting dolls
裂开Cracked (I’m falling apart)
摸鱼Touching fish (slacking off)
内卷Involution (the rat race)
PUAManipulation
人间清醒Clear-headed about life
社死Social death
双厨狂喜Double-fan joy
下次一定Next time, for sure
小镇做题家Small-town exam ace
爷青回My youth is back
有内味了Now it has that flavor
2019
awslI’m dying (of cuteness)
宝藏男孩Treasure boy (a hidden gem)
9969 to 9, six days a week
你品，你细品Taste it, taste it slowly
柠檬精Lemon spirit (jealous)
盘它Work it over
上头Hooked (it went to my head)
是个狼人A werewolf (tougher than tough)
我不要你觉得，我要我觉得Not what you think, what I think
我命由我不由天My fate is mine, not heaven’s
我太难了Life is so hard
一键三连Like, coin and save in one tap
硬核Hardcore
咱也不知道，咱也不敢问Don’t know, don’t dare ask
2018
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2008
Want the characters and a chat for a slang word? The slang section of the Dengdeng dictionary has more than 40 words, each with a chat and how to reply. The slang of 2025 lists the year’s words.
Ten Chinese memes
One Chinese internet meme every three days for a month: where it came from, what it means and how to use it.
