Slang is the spice rack of everyday Mandarin—especially in Taiwan. Learn a handful of high-frequency 俚語 you’ll actually hear on LINE, Instagram, night markets, and in the office. Each item shows Traditional Chinese first, pinyin second, and a clear English gloss. Keep it playful, but note the register so you don’t bring “group chat energy” to a client meeting.
What Counts As Slang?
In Taiwan, slang includes playful phonetic spellings, tone-light abbreviations, number codes (520, 886), borrowed English, and memes. It’s fast-moving and context-heavy. Treat it as seasoning: a little bit in the right place makes your Chinese sound alive; too much turns it into soup.
Quick Warm-Ups (Ultra Common Everyday Slang)
好扯哦
hǎo chě o
Wild / unbelievable.
超扯
chāo chě
Super wild; “that’s insane.”
靠北
kào bēi
“Jeez / damn it” (Taiwanese-flavored gripe; informal, avoid in formal settings).
真的假的
zhēn de jiǎ de
For real?
沒事啦
méi shì la
It’s fine / don’t worry about it.
可以喔
kě yǐ o
Not bad / looks good (approving).
佛系
fó xì
Laid-back, “zen” style (e.g., 佛系經營 run things chill).
嘴砲
zuǐ pào
Trash talk / all talk, no action.
Internet & Chat Essentials
已讀不回
yǐ dú bù huí
Read but no reply; “left on read.”
雙標
shuāng biāo
Double standard.
發漏（Follow）
fā lòu
To follow (a person/account).
追起來
zhuī qǐ lái
“Everyone follow/sub now!”
洗版
xǐ bǎn
Spam the feed / flood a chat.
嘴甜
zuǐ tián
Sweet talk.
嘴臭
zuǐ chòu
Rude mouth / toxic talk.
吃瓜
chī guā
Lurk and watch drama; “grab the popcorn.”
母湯
mǔ tāng
“Don’t do that” (Taiwanese loan; humorous warning).
Numbers & Code Words You’ll See Everywhere
520
wǔ èr líng
“I love you” (sounds like 我愛你 wǒ ài nǐ).
530
wǔ sān líng
“I miss you” (我想你 wǒ xiǎng nǐ, playful).
666
liù liù liù
Slick / nicely done (gaming/streamer vibe).
886
bā bā liù
Bye-bye (sounds like “拜拜啦”).
94
jiǔ sì
“就是” jiù shì (“exactly”); playful net slang.
233
èr sān sān
LOL (old BBS meme; still seen).
818
bā yī bā
八卦一下 “spill the tea” a bit.
94爽
jiǔ sì shuǎng
“Just feels good, period.”
Praise, Hype, And Soft Teasing
神
shén
God-tier / epic.
猛
měng
Savage / impressive.
扛霸子
káng bà zi
Top dog; the one carrying the team.
哭啊
kū a
Dramatic “I’m crying” (funny frustration).
笑死
xiào sǐ
“Dead from laughing” (LMAO).
慘
cǎn
Brutal / rough (situation).
雷
léi
A dud / “landmine” (bad place/product/person).
雷包
léi bāo
A person who keeps messing up.
搞笑
gǎo xiào
You jokester / you’re being silly.
Cute, Playful, And A Little Extra
可愛爆
kě ài bào
Explosively cute.
療癒
liáo yù
Soothing / wholesome; “this heals me.”
萌
méng
Adorable (A-anime vibe).
無敵
wú dí
Unbeatable / too good.
小確幸
xiǎo què xìng
Tiny certain happiness (a beloved TW phrase).
Dating, Vibe, And Social Life
曖昧
ài mèi
“Something’s going on” (pre-relationship vibes).
放鳥
fàng niǎo
Stand someone up.
放生
fàng shēng
Release back to the wild = break up / let go.
吃醋
chī cù
Be jealous.
吃土
chī tǔ
“Eating dirt” (broke after spending too much).
敢不敢
gǎn bù gǎn
“Bet you won’t” (playful challenge).
各種懂
gè zhǒng dǒng
You “just get it” (wink).
Work, Study, And Grind Talk
加班
jiā bān
Work overtime.
爆肝
bào gān
Destroy your liver = grind too hard.
躺平
tǎng píng
“Lie flat” (opt out of the rat race).
內卷
nèi juǎn
Involution: senseless competition.
邊緣人
biān yuán rén
Wallflower / the left-out one.
打醬油
dǎ jiàng yóu
Just passing by / not involved.
撐住
chēng zhù
Hang in there.
給過
gěi guò
“Pass it” / “good enough” (review mood).
Money, Deals, And Shopping
凹（一下）
āo (yí xià)
Try to bargain / squeeze a discount.
撿到寶
jiǎn dào bǎo
You lucked out / found a gem.
盤
pán
Size someone up / gauge value.
雷店
léi diàn
A dud store—avoid.
香
xiāng
So good (deal or food); “that’s tasty / worth it.”
回血
huí xuè
Recover HP = recoup money/energy.
Taiwan-Flavored Must-Know
尷尬癌
gān gà ái
Terminal awkwardness (joke).
俗氣／俗
sú qì / sú
Tacky.
俗擱有力
sóo gōo iú lí
“Tacky but powerful” (Taiwanese+Mandarin joke).
安捏
ān niē
Like this / that’s how (Taiwanese loan; casual).
衝一波
chōng yì bō
Send it / go for it (gaming → life).
ㄎㄎ
kē kē
“heh heh” (keyboard laugh).
Cross-Strait Differences (Know The Accent Marks)
硬核（大陸常見）
yìng hé
Hardcore.
好家夥（大陸）
hǎo jiā huo
“Damn / wow” (surprised).
好扯（台灣更常見說法）
hǎo chě
“That’s wild.”
上頭（大陸）
shàng tóu
Addictive (song/show).
洗腦（台灣）
xǐ nǎo
Ear-wormy / brain-washing catchy.
Use what locals around you use. In Taiwan, prefer the Taiwan-flavored items above.
Mini Dialogues (Screenshots Of Real Life)
A：你昨天不回，我以為妳已讀不回欸。
A: nǐ zuó tiān bù huí, wǒ yǐ wéi nǐ yǐ dú bù huí ei
A: You didn’t reply yesterday—I thought you left me on read.
B：抱歉啦，昨天加班爆肝，手機直接沒電。
B: bào qiàn la, zuó tiān jiā bān bào gān, shǒu jī zhí jiē méi diàn
B: Sorry—overtime was brutal; my phone straight up died.
A：那專案進度還好嗎？
A: nà zhuān àn jìn dù hái hǎo ma
A: How’s the project then?
B：還行，撐住。你這提案真的猛，客戶說香。
B: hái xíng, chēng zhù. nǐ zhè tí àn zhēn de měng, kè hù shuō xiāng
B: It’s okay—I’m hanging in. Your proposal’s savage; the client thinks it’s fire.
—
A：這家新店會不會雷啊？
A: zhè jiā xīn diàn huì bú huì léi a
A: Think this new shop is a dud?
B：看評論應該不會，大家都說佛系服務但東西很扛。
B: kàn píng lùn yīng gāi bú huì, dà jiā dōu shuō fó xì fú wù dàn dōng xī hěn káng
B: Reviews say service is chill, but the products are strong.
A：衝一波，訂位。
A: chōng yì bō, dìng wèi
A: Send it—book a table.
Handy Rewrites: Polite → Slangy → Neutral
我覺得不太合理。
wǒ jué de bú tài hé lǐ
I don’t think that’s very reasonable.
有點扯欸。
yǒu diǎn chě ei
That’s kinda wild.
這樣不太對。
zhè yàng bú tài duì
That doesn’t feel right.
非常好。
fēi cháng hǎo
Very good.
香爆。
xiāng bào
So good!
真的不錯。
zhēn de bú cuò
Really solid.
我今天很累。
wǒ jīn tiān hěn lèi
I’m tired today.
累爆／累死。
lèi bào / lèi sǐ
Dead tired.
今天有點累。
jīn tiān yǒu diǎn lèi
A bit tired today.
Emojis, Letters, And Faces (Keyboard Culture)
XD
xiāo yǎn dà xiào
Squinty laughing face; playful laugh.
QQ
kū liǎn
Crying eyes (teary).
Orz
wò dì
Person kneeling / collapse in despair.
^_^ ／ ^皿^
kāi xīn liǎn
Happy faces (old-school cute).
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
fān zhuō
Flip the table: dramatic frustration.
Light Roast Zone (Mild Insults You’ll Hear—Use Sparingly)
雷包
léi bāo
Walking disaster (mess-upper).
伸手牌
shēn shǒu pái
Always asking for help/materials without doing homework.
玻璃心
bō lí xīn
Thin-skinned / easily offended.
工具人
gōng jù rén
“Tool” person who gets used.
菜
cài
Noob; inexperienced.
These are common but can sting. Use them to understand others; avoid labeling people.
Slang In The Wild: Short Captions & Replies
今天這杯，香到飛起。
jīn tiān zhè bēi, xiāng dào fēi qǐ
This drink is insanely good.
笑死我，這招太猛。
xiào sǐ wǒ, zhè zhāo tài měng
I’m dead—this move is savage.
今日份小確幸：雨停＋咖啡不排隊。
jīn rì fèn xiǎo què xìng: yǔ tíng + kā fēi bù pái duì
Today’s small happiness: rain stopped + no coffee line.
月底吃土，但還是要吃好吃滿。
yuè dǐ chī tǔ, dàn hái shì yào chī hǎo chī mǎn
Broke at month’s end, still eating well.
Upgrade Your Sentence With One Slang Particle
啦／啦啦啦
la
Soften or urge: 快點啦 “hurry up, c’mon.”
欸／誒
ei
Attention or mild disbelief: 欸你看 “hey, look.”
喔／哦
o
Info tone: 我知道喔 “got it, noted.”
嘛
ma
“After all” tone: 這也正常嘛 “that’s normal, you know.”
耶
ye
Yay vibe: 成功了耶 “we did it!”
Slang Do’s And Don’ts
Keep It Local
If you’re in Taiwan, prefer Taiwan phrasing (尷尬癌、佛系、香、衝一波). Mainland slang may sound out of place.
Mind The Room
Use slang with friends, not with your professor or your client’s CFO. Your “可愛爆” might be their “unprofessional.”
Learn The Literal Meaning Too
Knowing 吃土 literally helps you remember the joke: you spent so much you’re “eating dirt.”
Don’t Over-Season
One slang word per sentence is plenty. Meaning > meme density.
Big Reference Table (Copy-Friendly)
| Category | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning / Use |
| hype | 神 | shén | God-tier, epic |
| hype | 猛 | měng | Savage, impressive |
| approval | 香 | xiāng | Tasty/awesome; “that slaps” |
| complaint | 靠北 | kào bēi | Jeez / damn (informal) |
| disbelief | 好扯 | hǎo chě | That’s wild |
| laugh | 笑死 | xiào sǐ | LMAO |
| tease | 嘴砲 | zuǐ pào | Trash talk |
| tease | 雷包 | léi bāo | A chronic mess-upper |
| internet | 已讀不回 | yǐ dú bù huí | Left on read |
| internet | 洗版 | xǐ bǎn | Spam the feed |
| social | 吃瓜 | chī guā | Lurk and watch drama |
| work | 爆肝 | bào gān | Grind too hard |
| work | 給過 | gěi guò | Good enough / pass |
| life | 小確幸 | xiǎo què xìng | Small certain happiness |
| money | 吃土 | chī tǔ | Broke |
| style | 佛系 | fó xì | Zen/chill style |
| numbers | 520 | wǔ èr líng | I love you |
| numbers | 886 | bā bā liù | Bye-bye |
| numbers | 666 | liù liù liù | Slick / nice |
| emo | qiū qiū | Crying eyes | |
| face | Orz | wò dì | Kneeling/fail pose |
| cute | 可愛爆 | kě ài bào | Explosively cute |
| caution | 母湯 | mǔ tāng | Don’t do that (humor) |
Practice Plan (Five Honest Minutes)
Read five slang lines aloud and add your own photo caption for each.
Rewrite three formal sentences into slang-lite versions that keep the meaning clean.
Record a 20-second voice note summarizing your day using two slang words (香 + 爆肝, for example).
Pick one number code (520, 886) and drop it naturally in a chat today.
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Slang is social glue and comic timing rolled into syllables. Learn what locals actually say, deploy one spicy word at a time, and you’ll earn more smiles than side-eyes. Keep the meaning sharp, the tone kind, and your Mandarin will start to sparkle in the wild.