打call
To cheer for
为你打call！Cheering for you!
打call means “to cheer for” someone or something. It comes from fans at idol concerts, and now works for anything you support, from a friend’s new job to a good noodle shop.
- Took off
- 2017
- Started in
- Idol concert fans
- Today
- Now everyday Chinese
What it means
打 is “to hit”, and also a general verb for doing things, as in 打电话, “to make a phone call”. The English word “call” is the second half. Together they mean “to cheer”, not “to phone”: 给他打call is “cheer him on”.
How people use it
It is common and still a little playful. It is close to 点赞, “to give a like”, but louder.
明天我篮球比赛，你来吗？
My basketball game is tomorrow. Coming?来！我带朋友去给你打call
Yes! I’ll bring friends to cheer for you.太好了，输了别笑我
Great. Don’t laugh if we lose.不会的，加油！
I won’t. Go get ’em!
More examples
这家店的面太好吃了，我必须给它打call！
The noodles here are so good, I have to give them a shout-out!
明天你第一次上台，我们都去给你打call。
Tomorrow is your first time on stage. We’ll all come and cheer for you.
Where it came from
At idol concerts in Japan, fans wave glow sticks in time with the music and shout chants together. Chinese fans of this pop culture took the word and the habit.
In 2017 it spread far beyond fans, to brands, stars and news sites. 咬文嚼字 put it on its list of the words of 2017. The editors said it drew the most attention of all, but that the English word in it goes against the rules for written Chinese.
Related memes
Sources
- The Paper: the editors of 咬文嚼字 on the 2017 list (in Chinese) (thepaper.cn)
- Sixth Tone: the slang of 2017 (sixthtone.com)
- ifanr: the word lists of 2017 (in Chinese) (ifanr.com)
Checked November 2026. The picture at the top is our own drawing of 灯灯. It is not the original meme image.
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.
