Few things are such eye openers than than youth’s use of language when communicating with each other on social media. Such also offers a fascinating snapshot of today’s society as well as being an essential tool for keeping up with the in crowd.
Cutting to the chase, herein the hottest internet slang being used in 2019 by Chinese millennials.
Skr
Onomatopoeia/expression
Literally, “skr” is a piece of onomatopoeia without practical meaning, imitating the sound of car drifting or skidding. Now used as a slang to express excitement, usually by rappers. The application of “skr” by netizens is based on its homophonic sounds, such as “is a 是个” and “dead 死个”, and resulting in a series of derivatives, for example “真skr帅哥” (such a hot guy).
佛系
(fó xì / fo2 xi4)
Adjective
Expresses a non-competitive lifestyle; not seeking always to win, to live as desired. Now popular among post 90s to describe themselves, given the tremendous pressure they face to step into work and society. They choose to give up chasing success; to take it easy and relax. 佛系 is a negative mentality under the burden of society.
C位
(c wèi / c wei4)
Noun
C stands for “centre”. When an individual is at the core of the team, people call them the “C位”. In films, televisions or posters, the term is reserved for the main actor/actress.
大猪蹄子
(dà zhū tí zi / da4 zhu1 ti2 zi)
Noun
Pig hooves, also known as pig feet, are often used to refer to playboys in various TV shows or scandals. It derives from the phrase, ”Men are all pig hooves” (男人都是大猪蹄子) , essentially meaning all men are cheaters. In other applications, it can also describe a man who is selfish and careless in a relationship.
尬聊
(gà liáo / ga4 liao2)
Verb
To chat awkwardly. When people have nothing to talk about, but need to chat to fill time or a certain situation; when they have no interest in the current topic, but have to reply to be polite; generating feelings of awkwardness and embarrassment.
摸鱼
(mō yú / mo1 yu2)
Verb
Stemming from the idiom “浑水摸鱼”, the original meaning is to catch fish in dirty water, meaning to profit in chaos. It also refers to people who are lazy and do not contribute to group activities; they are there to enjoy only the results. When a person is answering WeChat messages or playing with their phone during working hours, it can be said that they are “摸鱼”.
打call
(dǎ call / da3 call)
Verb
Originally from Japan, representing the country’s idol culture, when fans support their idols at concerts by singing along with their songs and screaming out loud. Literally, it means “to put one’s glow stick up for superstars”. Now, however, its meaning in daily life is expanded to show support for friends. For example, “为你打call” means to cheer someone up.
安利
(ān lì / an1 li4)
Verb
安利 was in the past a health product company that used strong brainwash strategies to promote their products. Now, it is used as a verb to highly recommend something to other people.
彩虹屁
(cǎi hóng pì / cai3 hong2 pi4)
Noun
Literally translated as “rainbow fart”, the expression also originates with idol culture and was used to speak of idols in glamour terms. The term can also be a way to flatter other people, in which case, it is more similar to “拍马屁” (“to kiss ass”).
2333
2333 is the code for smiley face emoji on a Chinese social media platform. Now it is the alternative for “lol”.
凉凉
(liáng liáng / liang2 liang2)
Adjective
“凉凉” is a TV show’s closing music, literally meaning coldness. Now, when successful people suddenly face trouble, “凉凉” is used to describe their awkward situation, as if they are doomed or it is curtains for them.
杠精
(gàng jīng / gang4 jing1)
Noun
The phenonemon becoming a serious problem on social media, whereby everyone has the right to say what they think without taking responsibility for their words; the result is disagreeable and argumentative to strangers. “杠精” is the word to describe such kinds of people; haters or spoilsports.
