成语 (chéngyǔ), slang, cultural references and the authentic Chinese that native speakers actually use — humor, four-character idioms and cultural insights.
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成语 chéngyǔ — Four-Character Idioms
Chéngyǔ are the jewels of the Chinese language — ancient wisdom compressed into four characters. Using them impresses every native speaker.
一举两得 yī jǔ liǎng dé
· ee jyew lyahng duh
kill two birds with one stone
literally: one move, two gains
入乡随俗 rù xiāng suí sú
· roo shyahng sway soo
when in Rome, do as the Romans
literally: enter village, follow customs
马马虎虎 mǎmǎhūhū
· mah-mah hoo-hoo
so-so / careless
literally: horse horse tiger tiger
半途而废 bàn tú ér fèi
· bahn too ar fay
give up halfway
literally: half road then abandon
学无止境 xué wú zhǐ jìng
· shweh woo jih jing
learning has no end
literally: study no stop boundary
熟能生巧 shú néng shēng qiǎo
· shoo nung shung chyow
practice makes perfect
literally: familiar can produce skill
成语 chéngyǔ usually have exactly 4 characters and come from ancient Chinese stories, history or literature. Using even one correctly in conversation will earn you respect from native speakers!
Xué zhōngwén yào jìzhù: shú néng shēng qiǎo!
When learning Chinese remember: practice makes perfect!
Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? — Mǎmǎhūhū.
How have you been? — So-so.
Modern Slang & Internet Chinese
The Chinese that young people actually use — on WeChat, Douyin (TikTok) and in daily conversation.
厉害 lìhai
· lee-hai
awesome/impressive
你太厉害了！
加油 jiāyóu
· jyah-yoh
keep going!/you can do it!
加油！你可以的！
没问题 méi wèntí
· may wen-tee
no problem
没问题！
太棒了 tài bàng le
· tai bahng luh
awesome/great!
考试考得太棒了！
不好意思 bù hǎoyìsi
· boo how-yee-sih
sorry/embarrassed
不好意思，打扰了。
随便 suíbiàn
· sway-byen
whatever/anything's fine
吃什么？— 随便。
给力 gěilì
· gay-lee
awesome/powerful (slang)
这个APP很给力！
靠谱 kàopǔ
· kow-poo
reliable/trustworthy
他很靠谱。
牛 niú
· nyow
awesome (lit. 'cow')
你太牛了！
666 liù liù liù
· lyow lyow lyow
awesome! (internet)
666！太厉害了！
加油 jiāyóu literally means 'add oil/fuel' and is THE most common encouragement phrase in Chinese. You'll hear it at sports events, exams, and whenever someone needs support. 666 means 'awesome' in internet Chinese because 溜 (liù) sounds like 'smooth/skilled'.