【Learn Chinese】Chinese Slang Words: Sound like a Native Speaker (Part 3)

When you learn Chinese, you'll come across plenty of Chinese slang – the kind of vocabulary and expressions you’re more likely to hear on the street when talking to real people than in your textbook.
Here are some of the most interesting, the most common and the most useful examples of Chinese spoken and internet slang.

绿茶 lǜchá (A Girl Who Is Seemingly Innocent But Actually Manipulative)
An interesting expression that literally means “green tea”!

土豪 tŭháo (Nouveau Riche)
With the increasing number of super-rich in China, there’s no shortage of people with plenty of money but little class.

凡尔赛 fán’ĕrsài (Humblebrag)
In Chinese culture, the rich have traditionally flaunted their wealth, but seeing the wealthy show off their money when others are paid low wages is increasingly seen as distasteful. So many have now adopted the art of the “humblebrag” on their social media accounts.

娘炮 niángpào (An Effeminate Man)
A well-known expression for this.

学霸 xuébà (Top Student)
A student who always studies hard and is always top of the class.

夜猫子 yèmāozi (Night Owl)
In Chinese, you don’t say “night owl” – you say “night cat”!

拜金女 bàijīnnǚ (Gold Digger)
A materialistic woman who likes to spend money, especially one who spends the money of a rich man.

月光族 yuèguāngzú (People Who Spend All Their Money Before Their Next Payday)
Used to describe people who always spend all their money before their next payday comes around. 族 zú means “clan” or “race” and is usually used with words for ethnicities – so this expression is describing these people as belonging to a kind of “tribe”.

爱豆 àidòu (Idol)
A loanword from English!