Learning (or not learning) Chinese slang

Slang and swearing often top the list of what people want to learn in a foreign language. But is this curiosity actually helpful for learners, or just a fun distraction?

In discussion forums, question apps and from personal experience, I have noticed a strong and persistent desire to learn slang in foreign languages.

Beyond being fun, is this helpful? If so, how? If not, then why not?

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Why are people so interested in learning slang and swear words?

The only type of words or expressions that seems to be even more popular than slang is profanity, although the two could arguably belong to the same category.

Personally, I don’t really understand this and have never felt the need to “learn some slang” or learn how to say “#$@&%*!” in Chinese.

Perhaps it’s a desire to become cool by using “cool” words, and if being cool is part of your goal, then learning slang makes sense.

Perhaps it’s just curiosity about interesting expressions, although many other forms of language are equally interesting but generate much less interest.

Or perhaps it’s a yearning to escape the oh-so-boring textbook and get in touch with the “real” language, a flirt with the subversive and dangerous. Also, this seems to be following my advice for beginners to leave the classroom: Three things I wish I had known as a beginner student of Chinese: The time machine, part 1.

Three things I wish I had known as a beginner student of Chinese: The time machine, part 1

All these reasons are valid, of course. I’m not going to tell you to stop trying to be cool or avoid something you find fascinating. Why are you interested in learning slang? Please leave a comment, especially if your reason is not covered above!

Things to keep in mind when learning slang in Chinese

Since many students find slang interesting, let’s have a look at some things to keep in mind when learning slang in Chinese.

First and foremost, there is nothing magical about slang. It’s just like other words and expressions, except very colloquial and often used in more limited contexts, which makes slang less useful than standard language.

This does not mean that you should never learn slang. It just means that you are usually better off focusing on other things first.

After all, if there are three near-synonyms for something, you probably want to learn the most common and universally used one first. Then you can learn other ways of saying the same thing, regardless of whether they are more or less formal, regional, or something else.

I’ve written more about which words to learn here: Which words you should learn and where to find them

Which words you should learn and where to find them

Chinese slang is limited in several ways

Slang tends to be more limited than standard language in several ways:

• Time: Slang changes much faster than standard language. It tends to be spoken or, if written, informally in chat or messaging, which is not preserved and does not last as long as printed language. This means that the slang you learn now will be obsolete fairly soon. Using old slang is a sure way to generate laughs and appear very uncool.
• Region: Slang is very dependent on where you are. Of course, some slang works almost everywhere, but in general, slang works best close to where you learnt it. Why learn a region-specific informal term instead of the universal, standard one?
• Social groups: Slang works differently in different groups. Beijing taxi drivers do not use the same slang as youngsters who spend more time online than offline. It is also incredibly hard to navigate the maze of social associations of words and expressions, so getting it right is quite difficult.
• Age: People of different ages grew up using different words. Think about how it works in your native language. It is very unlikely you use the same slang as people much younger or older than you.

Using slang outside its proper context can lead to confusion and, in some cases, offence. This is especially true for swearing, but I think I will save that topic for another article.

In general, though, do not swear in Chinese (or any other foreign language) unless you really know what you are doing (and you probably do not). It is extremely difficult to swear correctly and with tact as a second-language learner, and getting it wrong can have negative consequences.

Learn Chinese slang, but do it in context

Looking at the above limitations, a purely rational learner might conclude that learning slang is not a good idea.

However, I want to make it very clear that this is not actually what I am saying. My point is that slang should be treated for what it is: informal spoken language limited to a certain context

That is true for all language. It is just that slang is by its very nature more dependent on these factors than standard language is.

My advice is that you should definitely learn slang, but only when it comes up naturally in the context where it is used. Learning vocabulary from lists is rarely a good idea. The same advice as for other areas of the language, in other words!

Should you learn Chinese vocabulary from lists?

Slang is like normal words, just less useful

If quick progress in Chinese is your goal, you should focus on learning the most useful language first. This is almost never slang, unless you’re learning Chinese in a highly unique setting.

If you are studying Chinese in your own country, learning slang as a beginner or intermediate learner is more or less pointless. You will have little chance to use it, and if you do so later, it might already be out of date or inappropriate for some reason. It also takes up unnecessary effort that could have been more wisely spent.

Learning Chinese slang is easy when you need it

The final argument against focusing specifically on slang is that once you already have a solid foundation in the language and can converse at a reasonable level, learning slang becomes quite easy.

Sure, if you start spending time with people who use more slang or start watching certain films or TV shows, it will be difficult at first. However, since you have already learnt the structure of the language, adding extra words and expressions is not a problem.

What does duāng mean anyway?

If you have wondered about the cover image for this article, featuring the made-up character duāng, written as a combination of the characters 成 and 龙, it is a good example of internet slang.

Duāng is a sound effect made famous by Jackie Chan (whose Chinese name is 成龙) in a shampoo advert. Although it has no real meaning, official character, or even status as a valid syllable in Mandarin, it went viral in 2015 and was used to mock over-the-top special effects and exaggerated claims online.

While most people would probably still understand you if you used this word today, it is no longer in use and now stands as a fun and interesting example of the fleeting nature of internet slang. You can read more about duāng on Wikipedia here.

Conclusion

I assume that most people who want to learn slang don’t do so because they think it is extremely useful, but rather because it is interesting or to spice things up a bit.

Perhaps there is little overlap between regular readers of this site and people who obsess over learning slang in foreign languages, but if there is, and you are reading this, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Editor’s note: This article, originally published in 2017, was rewritten and republished in October 2025.