Chinese
10 Chinese swear words you'll actually hear
A traveller's shortlist of Chinese expletives, insults and exclamations — what they mean, and how strong they are.
Every language swears differently. This guide collects 10 Chinese expressions you're genuinely likely to hear — from mild exclamations to properly strong stuff — and explains what each one actually means, not just its dictionary translation.
Burn Ratings are an approximate, cross-language heuristic. Context, region, tone and who's speaking all change how a word lands. Treat these as a guide, not gospel.
- 1懒虫 1/5 · Mild
lǎnchóng
Literally “lazy insect”. Teasing or insulting label for a lazy person. Usually mild.
Full entry → - 2讨厌鬼 1/5 · Mild
tǎoyànguǐ
Literally “annoying ghost”. An annoying person or little pest. Can be playful.
Full entry → - 3不要脸 2/5 · Coarse
bú yào liǎn
Literally “not want face”. Shameless; an accusation of disgraceful behavior. Not literally about appearance.
Full entry → - 4他奶奶的 2/5 · Coarse
tā nǎinai de
Literally “his grandmother's”. Euphemistic family-directed curse: damn it. Milder substitute for a mother-directed curse.
Full entry → - 5傻子 2/5 · Coarse
shǎzi
Literally “fool”. Insult for a foolish person. Disparaging label rather than a diagnosis.
Full entry → - 6傻帽 2/5 · Coarse
shǎmào
Literally “foolish hat”. Insult for an idiot. Colloquial, especially northern usage.
Full entry → - 7去你的 2/5 · Coarse
qù nǐ de
Literally “go your”. Dismissal comparable to get lost. Tone ranges from joking to hostile.
Full entry → - 8下三烂 3/5 · Vulgar
xià sānlàn
Insult for someone or something low and contemptible. Mandarin colloquial abuse.
Full entry → - 9妈的 3/5 · Vulgar
mā de
Literally “mother's”. Short vulgar exclamation roughly like damn or fuck. A shortened formula; not a complete literal sentence.
Full entry → - 10屁民 3/5 · Vulgar
pìmín
Literally “fart people”. Contemptuous or self-mocking term for powerless ordinary people. Often social or political sarcasm.
Full entry →