男/女神 (nán/nǚ shén)
神 means god/deity, so right off the bat, you know it’s serious.
It would be inadvisable to refer to yourself as a deity, for obvious reasons, but it can be freely utilized for a third party. In these cases, the meaning transforms to become “ideal”.
So rather than saying that “she is a female god”, you are conveying that “she is my ideal woman”.
宅男 (zhái nán)
This phrase originated from the Chinese for otaku (御宅族 yù zhái zú) which describes the kind of person who is obsessed with mange, anime, and video games. While 宅男 includes this demographic, it’s main purpose is collect all the people that like to stay home together and give them a sense of belonging.
Although, these people could be of either gender, it is more commonly used to describe men—mostly because Chinese men are more likely to be anti-social in this way.
吃货 (chī huò)
oodies. Love them or hate them, these specimen exist in our world to inform us that their love of nourishment is something to be admired and envied.
But similar to some of the words previously introduced, foodies have become an overabundant resource in China. Somewhere along its timeline, the concept of food appreciation became a tool for people to ingratiate themselves to society.
I mean, who doesn’t like foodies?
And so, what see you now are “foodies” who do not appreciate the taste, but the price.
逗比 (dòu bī)
If you follow the Chinese entertainment industry—and you shouldn’t—then you will know that, while celebrities may have a persona for work and events, they are all the jokers when they’re with their friends.
That’s right, despite what we see on screens, hear in interviews, feel on the streets, even the most stone-faced individual spend their free time ghost writing for comedians.
So in order to convincingly portray this to the public, the phrase 逗比 is often used. 逗 meaning “to tease” and 比 meaning…well…something NSFW. Use it as a verb or an adjective. Either will let people know how fun you can be.
Please note that as a 逗比, you will be expected to crack jokes and perform physical comedy at the drop of a hat, so be prepared.
老炮儿 (lǎo pàor)
Why talk about this phrase, when there is a whole movie dedicated to 老炮儿.
Article by: Ethan Yun
