In the second part of Chinese Internet Slang 2018 series, let’s look at 5 more slang words and phrases that became viral on the Chinese Internet in 2018.

1. 官宣 (Guānxuān)

官宣 (guānxuān) means “official announcement”. This word became popular among netizens in October 2018, when two celebrities posted it on their Weibo account to announce their wedding. Since these two have a large fan base, the word quickly got picked up by fans and went viral. Now is it commonly used when a company or a person want to make an important announcement.

2. C位 (C Wèi)

“C” is an abbreviation for the English word “center”, so C位 (C wèi) generally refers to the center of the stage, or the performer’s position in the middle of a poster. Later, its meaning extended, and now it refers to the most important and significant position at events and social occasions (similar to VIP).

3. 土味情话 (Tǔwèi Qínghuà)

土味 (tǔwèi) originally means “the smell of soil”, and refers to being tacky, corny or vulgar. 情话 (qínghuà) literally means “lovers’ prattle”. The whole phrase is an internet slang for tacky love words, flat jokes, and exaggerated expressions.

Example: 我对你的爱，就像拖拉机上山轰轰烈烈。(Wǒ duì nǐ de ài, jiù xiàng tuōlājī shàngshān hōnghōnglièliè). “My love for you is like a tractor going up the mountain”.

4. 皮一下 (Pí yīxià)

This expression originated from a dialect, and became a popular game comment commonly used by social media users. 皮 (pí) is short for 调皮 (tiáopí), similar to 淘气 (táoqì) “naughty, tricky”. It is used to roast the opposing game party about mischievous and playing against the rules. Now it is commonly used as a pun on Weibo.

5. 燃烧我的卡路里 (Ránshāo wǒ de kǎlùlǐ)

The phrase “燃烧我的卡路里” (Ránshāo wǒ de kǎlùlǐ) literally means “to burn my calories”. It originally came from a song called 《卡路里》(kǎlùlǐ) or “Calories”. This song has become very popular among “square dancers” and during gym sessions, because of its unique melody, tempo and lyrics.

[Do you know how to say “awesome” or “to go crazy” in Chinese using today’s slang words? If you’d like to learn more about Chinese slang, check out post about popular slang words and phrases.]

[It’s true that sometimes we fail to understand different cultures. If you’ve been to China, you might’ve noticed some peculiar Chinese habits. Read our post about them here!]

How many of these slang words do you know? Do you use them in daily speech?

Share your experience here – or tweet us at @thatsmandarin!