ChinglishChinglish Cafe EmblemCafe

Explore the hilarious and fascinating world of Chinglish. Discover literal translations, internet slang, and the cultural context behind them.

📚 Archived Chinglish Phrases: 33
You Swan, He Frog

You swan, he frog

你算什么东西 / 癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉 (Nǐ suàn shénme dōngxī / Làihámá xiǎng chī tiān'é ròu)

Means: Who do you think you are? / Way out of your league

No Zuo No Die

No zuo no die

不作死就不会死 (bù zuō sǐ jiù bú huì sǐ)

Means: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes / You asked for it

Good Good Study, Day Day Up

Good good study, day day up

好好学习,天天向上 (hǎo hǎo xué xí, tiān tiān xiàng shàng)

Means: Study hard and make progress every day

People Mountain People Sea

People mountain people sea

人山人海 (rén shān rén hǎi)

Means: A sea of people / Huge crowds

# Daily Life (→ View All)

Horse horse tiger tiger

马马虎虎 (mǎ mǎ hǔ hǔ)

Means: So-so / Mediocre / Careless

Open water

开水 (kāi shuǐ)

Means: Boiled water / Hot water

Watch sister

表妹 (biǎo mèi)

Means: Female cousin (on the mother's side)

Let the horse come here

放马过来 (fàng mǎ guò lái)

Means: Bring it on! / Come at me!

Give you some color to see see

给你点颜色看看 (gěi nǐ diǎn yán sè kàn kan)

Means: Teach you a lesson / Show you what I'm capable of

No can do

不行 / 做不得 (bù xíng / zuò bu de)

Means: I can't do it / That is not possible

Lose face

丢脸 (diū liǎn)

Means: Be humiliated / Suffer a loss of respect

Long time no see

好久不见 (hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn)

Means: It's been a while! / I haven't seen you in ages!

Add oil

加油 (jiā yóu)

Means: Go for it! / Keep it up! / Come on!

# Idioms & Slang (→ View All)

No JJ book

葵花宝典 / 辟邪剑谱 (Kuíhuā Bǎodiǎn / Pìxié Jiànpǔ)

Means: The Sunflower Manual / The ultimate martial arts guide requiring self-castration

You me you me

彼此彼此 (bǐ cǐ bǐ cǐ)

Means: The feeling is mutual / Likewise / Same here

You dida-dida me, I huala-huala you

滴水之恩,当涌泉相报 (dī shuǐ zhī ēn, dāng yǒng quán xiāng bào)

Means: Repay a drop of water with a rushing spring / A small favor will be repaid manifold

No three no four

不三不四 (bù sān bù sì)

Means: Shady / Dubious / Unsavory character

Nonsense eight ways

胡说八道 (hú shuō bā dào)

Means: Talking nonsense / Talking rubbish

Wind horse cow not related

风马牛不相及 (fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí)

Means: Totally unrelated / Apples and oranges

Blow cow / Talk big cow

吹牛 (chuī niú)

Means: Bragging / Boasting / Talking big

One don't do, two don't stop

一不做二不休 (yī bú zuò èr bù xiū)

Means: In for a penny, in for a pound / Might as well go all the way

Open door see mountain

开门见山 (kāi mén jiàn shān)

Means: Get straight to the point / Cut to the chase

Seven up eight down

七上八下 (qī shàng bā xià) / 乱七八糟 (often confused)

Means: Anxious / Having butterflies in one's stomach

Paper tiger

纸老虎 (zhǐ lǎo hǔ)

Means: A hollow threat / Someone who appears powerful but is actually weak

# Internet Slang (→ View All)

Fast fast as biu biu

急急如律令 (jí jí rú lǜ lìng)

Means: Without delay / As fast as lightning / Presto!

Family 4.0

四世同堂 (sì shì tóng táng)

Means: Four generations living under one roof

God is a girl

上帝不公 (shàng dì bù gōng)

Means: God is unfair / Life is not fair

Chinglish

中式英语 (zhōng shì yīng yǔ)

Means: Chinese English

Laugh to pee

笑尿了 (xiào niào le)

Means: Laughing so hard I peed / LMAO (Laughing my ass off)

Geilivable / Ungelivable

给力 / 不给力 (gěi lì / bù gěi lì)

Means: Awesome & Supportive / Disappointing & Unhelpful

Niubility

牛逼 (niú bī)

Means: Awesomeness / Badassery / Incredible skill

Smilence

笑而不语 (xiào ér bù yǔ)

Means: A knowing smile / To smile without saying a word

You can you up, no can no bb

你行你上,不行别哔哔 (nǐ xíng nǐ shàng, bù xíng bié bī bi)

Means: Put your money where your mouth is / If you can do it, go ahead; otherwise, shut up

📖

Oxford Certified

Explore legendary Chinglish phrases that have officially crossed cultural borders. These linguistic marvels are now proudly recognized in prestigious English dictionaries.

💬

Urban Dictionary

Dive into the untamed world of Chinese internet slang. Discover the most creative, chaotic, and viral expressions currently dominating daily digital conversations.

😂

5-Star Hilarious

Prepare yourself for non-stop laughter. We've handpicked the absolute funniest, most bizarre, and mind-bending translation fails that achieved legendary comedy status.

About Chinglish.Cafe

Chinglish is not just "bad English"—it's a fascinating cultural bridge. This site is dedicated to archiving literal translations, internet slang, and historical pidgin phrases that showcase the humor and creativity of the Chinese language meeting the English world.