Chinese internet, in English.
The latest slang, memes and buzzwords from Weibo, Douyin and WeChat — decoded with plain-English explanations, real examples, and the cultural context you won't find in a textbook. For learners, Chinese speakers, and the curious.
China Hotspots
View all →Oct 4, 2026
China's Government Cafeteria Became a National Day Food Stop
During China's National Day holiday, more than 3,000 visitors queued for local dishes at a government cafeteria in Rongchang, turning an ordinary lunchroom into an unexpected tourist attraction.
Oct 4, 2026
Why China's One-Yuan Slow Train Still Runs at a Loss
Shandong's 7053/4 slow train charges as little as one yuan while serving mountain villages, raising a simple question: what is public transport worth when profit is not the only measure?
Oct 4, 2026
Huawei's Mate 90 Turns the “5G Is Back” Story into a “Chip Era” Launch
Huawei's Mate 90 launch moved China's 5G registry story from a certification line to a retail product: the full series uses new Tau-branded Kirin chips, giving the online discussion a much bigger hardware storyline.
Oct 4, 2026
China's 'City Visa on Arrival' Turns Travel Photos into an Arrival Ritual
In China's latest travel meme, a 'city visa on arrival' means dressing up, finding a signature local view, and posting proof that you made it there.
Newly added
See all →中登
Sep 30
中登 (zhōng dēng) is a playful generational label for people born roughly 1995–1999 — the sandwiched cohort juggling mortgages, car loans, and early burnout. It is one rung on a self-mocking age ladder that starts from 老登, a mocking term for older, preachy men.
养砖头 (Raise a Brick)
Aug 10
The latest low-cost hobby: pick up a discarded brick, spray it with water daily, and wait for moss to grow. It's meditation, gardening, and absurdism rolled into one.
牛来 (Here Comes the Cow)
Aug 21
A mother-and-son hand-made animated film that sold only ¥7,169 in tickets over nine days, then went viral for being hilariously bad — and became August 2026's biggest nationwide inside joke.
梁圣 / 梁子 (Saint Liang / Liang-zi)
Aug 22
DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng went from 'Saint Liang' to 'Liang-zi' (梁子) in a matter of days — a live demonstration of how Chinese internet honorifics work as a dial, not a label.
家里快供不起我在外面上班了 (My Family Can Barely Afford Me Working Away From Home)
Aug 5
A painful realization: many young workers in China earn less than their living costs, and their families are subsidizing their 'independence.' The joke names something nobody had a word for — working poverty among the single-child generation.
夯爆了
Sep 30
夯爆了 (hāng bào le) is Gen-Z slang for 'absolutely incredible' — a maximal, all-purpose compliment used for food, films, performances, and products. It fuses 夯 (to ram or pound) with 爆了 (exploded): so good it blew up.
Trending right now
See full ranking →Recently added
All 72 entries →夯爆了
822026-08
夯爆了 (hāng bào le) is Gen-Z slang for 'absolutely incredible' — a maximal, all-purpose compliment used for food, films, performances, and products. It fuses 夯 (to ram or pound) with 爆了 (exploded): so good it blew up.
竹知了 (Bamboo Cicada)
862026-07
A cheap bamboo toy's 'waa' sound matched the audience gasp at a Huawei car launch so perfectly that netizens couldn't tell which was which — and a legal battle made it even funnier.
我最讨厌的就是事后道歉 (I Hate Post-Event Apologies)
832026-05
A university student disrupted class, the teacher apologized to calm things down — and the student snapped back 'I hate post-event apologies.' The irony became a massively viral catchphrase.
夹角打工人 (Angled Worker)
782026-05
A worker stuck in the middle — can't fully grind (身体卷不动) and can't fully quit (躺不平). 'Angled' describes the uncomfortable position of being caught between two forces.
割四赔五 (Charged for Four, Pay for Five)
822026-05
A phrase describing a situation where you're paid for the minimum but penalized at the maximum. When you do the work, they count small; when you make a mistake, they count big.
背手负鼠 (Hands-Behind-the-Back Possum)
912026-05
A photo of a possum standing with its paws behind its back became the defining burnout meme of summer 2026 — the perfect face for 'I'm holding it together but barely.'
SBTI (Silly Big Personality Test)
842026-04
A joke MBTI parody that hands you an absurd, self-deprecating label instead of a flattering type. It's a way to laugh at burnout and personality-test anxiety.
咕咕嘎嘎 (Goo Goo Gaa Gaa)
792026-04
A nonsense sound that became a universal response. Say '咕咕嘎嘎' when you don't know what to say, when you want to be silly, or when you want to break the tension.
AI水果 (AI Fruit)
792026-04
Netizens used AI to generate absurd, anthropomorphic-fruit micro-dramas — cheating bananas, vengeful grapes, love-triangle fruit soap operas — turning AI video tools into a genre of荒诞狗血 short drama.
By category
All categories →Internet Culture
Memes, viral formats and online habits that shape how Chinese netizens talk.
Work & Office
The language of Chinese offices: overtime, teammates, big companies and climbing the ladder.
Gen Z Slang
What young Chinese people actually text, post and joke about.
Food & Daily Life
Eating, buying, living — the small words that paint everyday Chinese life.
AI & Tech
Buzzwords from China's AI boom and technology scene.
Society & News
Big conversations: housing, jobs, expectations and social change.
From the blog
All articles →Aug 23, 2026
Surviving the Chinese Office: A Guide to Workplace Slang
Chinese office workers have built an entire vocabulary for the experience of surviving the 9-to-5 (or more like 9-to-9). From the 'office stench' to 'touching fish,' here's how to talk about work in 2026.
Aug 23, 2026
The 2026 Chinese Meme Wave: From 搞抽象 to 牛来
August 2026 has been a wild month for Chinese internet culture. A terrible animated film became a box office phenomenon, absurdist humor was declared the dominant comedy style, and the whole world was called a straw-stage troupe. Here's what you missed.
Aug 23, 2026
The Ultimate Chinese Internet Slang Guide for 2026
From the eternal YYDS to the devastating 破防, here's every Chinese internet slang word you need to understand the conversation in 2026.
Aug 22, 2026
August 2026: Bamboo Cicadas, the Worst Movie Ever, and the Great Brick Trend
August 2026 was a month of extremes: a ¥3 toy defeated a tech giant, the worst movie ever became a box office hit, and young people started raising bricks as a hobby.