About Chinese Slang Explained

Chinese social media moves fast. Words like yyds, 躺平 and 内卷 show up everywhere — in comments on Bilibili and Douyin, in game chats, in RedNote posts — but they rarely appear in textbooks or translation apps.

This site explains them: what each term literally says, what people actually mean by it, where it came from, and how to use it in a sentence (with pinyin). Explanations are available in English, with Japanese, Korean and Spanish versions being added.

It's useful if you are learning Mandarin, watching Chinese shows or streams, playing games with Chinese players, or just curious about internet culture in China.

Every entry is written and reviewed by an editor before it is published. Spotted a mistake or want a term added? Let us know.