Feeling confident with your Mandarin… until you hear teens talking and suddenly feel like a tourist in your own vocabulary? 😅 In this episode, we break down the hilarious, emotional, and expressive slang that young people actually use — from “发疯文学” to “嘴替” and “搭子.”
You’ll hear real examples, fun comparisons with textbook Chinese, and small dialogues to help you actually sound like someone who lives in Mandarin — not just studies it.

📖 vs 🧃
Textbook says: “I’m tired.”
Real life says: “我快炸了！” (I’m about to explode.)

✨ Don’t miss this fun and practical breakdown of slang you’ll never learn in class — but absolutely need in real life.

🔑 Vocabulary and grammar in the description.
🗓️ And don’t miss Tuesday’s episode: “Talk Like a Teen.”

Let’s start with a simple greeting.

📖 Textbook Chinese:
你好。nǐ hǎo – Hello.
我很高兴认识你。wǒ hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ – I’m happy to meet you.

🧃 Real-Life Teen Talk:
哟，你来啦？yō, nǐ lái la? – Yo, you showed up!
你也太社恐了吧！nǐ yě tài shè kǒng le ba! – You’re soooo socially awkward (playfully teasing).

“你好” is too formal in real life. If you use it too seriously, people might think you’re either joking… or working in customer service.

What the textbook says… vs. what young people actually say

📖 Textbook

🧃 Real-Life Slang

Explanation

你想做什么？– What do you want to do?

咋整？– What’s the move? / What now?

Super casual, usually when people are bored or indecisive.

他生气了 – He’s angry

他要发疯了 / 他有点离谱 – He’s about to lose it / He’s ridiculous

Adds drama or judgment to make it funnier.

我很忙 – I’m busy

我快炸了 / 排满到明年 – I’m about to explode / Booked till next year

Makes “busy” sound more chaotic and relatable.

不好意思 – Sorry / Excuse me

社死了 – I died socially / 笑死我了 – I’m dead (from embarrassment)

Expresses how awkward it felt, not just saying “sorry.”

我不确定 – I’m not sure

我脑子没转过来 / 我大脑宕机 – My brain’s lagging / I can’t process

Expresses confusion in a tech-humor kind of way.

我不喜欢 – I don’t like it

有点下头 / 不行我拒绝 – It’s a turnoff / Nope, I reject this

More emotionally charged and performative.

我很尴尬 – I’m embarrassed

太社死了 / 我要瞬移 – This is social death / I want to teleport away

Very visual and expressive!

我很困 – I’m sleepy

我要直接睡死 / 睡觉保命 – I’ll just pass out / Sleeping to survive

Hyperbole to the rescue.

没关系 – It’s okay / No problem

好家伙 / 笑死 / 我裂开 – “Whoa”, “I’m dying (laughing)”, “I cracked”

Often used to brush things off or react with humor.

加油 – You can do it!

冲！ / 搞起来！– Go for it! / Let’s get it!

These are like Chinese hype phrases – full of energy and online vibes.

真的吗？– Really?

啥玩意儿？/ 不会吧？– What the heck? / No way?

Adds surprise or disbelief in a more expressive way.