37 Chinese Words That Don't Translate - Does Not Translate

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報復性熬夜 (revenge bedtime procrastination)·A phenomenon in which people who don’t have much control over their daytime life refuse to sleep early in order to regain some sense of freedom during late night hours.

Fuerdai·A (derogatory) term often used in the Chinese media to refer to rich children whose wealth comes primarily from their parents; the second generation of the rich.

“hún dàn (混蛋) = literally “mixed egg”·A person who has at least two biological fathers and one biological mother, the idea being that the mother mated with two or more males in quick succession and a mosaic embryo was formed.

吸猫 xī māo·To zone out and enjoy the company of a cat, as if it were a drug. Lit. “snort/suck cat”.

从良(Cóngliáng)·The act of quitting being a prostitute and entering a momogamous marriage.

Get out of bed anger·The bad mood you're in shortly after you wake up.

Firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea·- life's daily necessities, things you cannot live without.

撒娇·To behave cutely for the attention of a loved one.

转码 (zhuǎn mǎ)·To give up on one’s original career plans and self-learn programming instead.

Wàngniánjiāo [忘年交]·A friendship where the difference in age between the friends is forgotten.

交浅言深 (jiāoqiǎnyánshēn)·To have a deep and intimate conversation with a stranger.

画龙点睛·Lit. to draw in eyes on a painted dragon.

蚁居 yǐ jū·To live in crowded slum housing in expensive cities, because you can't afford the rent of a proper room.

不明觉厉 bùmíngjuélì·I do not understand what you're saying but it seems awesome.

吃喝嫖赌 chīhēpiáodǔ·To do nothing but eat, get drunk, get with hookers, and gamble (e.g. Bender).

尬聊(Gà liáo)·(verb) The act of making awkward conversation.

江湖(Jiāng Hú)·Lit. rivers and lakes.

穿堂风chuān táng fēng·The wind that passes through a building when the windows or doors on opposite sides of the room are opened at the same time.

宣泄 xuānxiè·Lit. 'to let accumulated water flow'.

搭讪 (dāshàn)·To start talking to end an awkward silence or an embarrassing situation; also means to flirt.

小吃 (Xiǎochī)·A category of food that is bigger than a snack but smaller than a meal, typically cheap street food.

背影杀手·A woman who looks beautiful from behind, but is actually quite ugly.

拗口 aòkǒu·Hard to pronounce, lit. “mouth-defying”.

“脱了裤子放屁”（tuō le kùzi fàngpì)·Take off your pants to fart.

成全 (chéngquán)·To selflessly help sb. achieve their aim.

绝交 juéjiāo·To break off a relationship with a friend or ally.

Mǎ shàng fēng [馬上風]·To die while having sex.

一千个读者就有一千个哈姆雷特 (lit. To a thousand readers, there are a thousand Hamlets)·A widely circulated Chinese proverb, despite having no authentic English origin.

存在感 (Cúnzài gǎn)·(Roughly) The amount of attention someone receives in a social setting.

知音(Zhī Yīn)·Lit. to know the tone.