The direct Chinese equivalent for the "f-word" (as a verb meaning to have sex) is 干 (gàn), but stronger, more versatile expletives are 操 (cào) and the mother-related 他妈的 (tā mā de), which function like "fck" or "fcking," while phrases like 草泥马 (cǎo ní mǎ - "grass mud horse") are creative, less direct insults. Chinese curse words vary greatly, with some like 靠北 (kào běi) used regionally, and 傻屄 (shǎ bī) being a common insult for a stupid person.
1. 干 – Gàn. 干 is the Chinese equivalent of the f-word and is used by Chinese people in the more literal “making love” sense of the word. In terms of Chinese curse words, while not the meanest of swears, the right person hearing you say it at the wrong time could still get you in a fair bit of trouble.
发 Trad. 發 fā to send out to show (one's feeling) to issue to develop to make a bundle of money classifier for gunshots (rounds)
The Chinese internet slang 666 (liù liù liù) basically means “awesome” because the number six in Chinese sounds like “溜” (liù), meaning “smooth”. 666 started as gaming slang to praise a skilled player, like “GG” in English, but is now used generally to praise someone for doing something very impressively or “smoothly”.
In Chinese, the number 250 is used as an insult. Pronounced èr bǎi wǔ, it refers to a person who is silly or foolish. The expression originates from ancient China, where silver was measured in taels (两 – liǎng), an old unit of weight (about 37 grams). Usually, 500 taels were packed in an envelope called 一封 (yī fēng).
1366/666/888
These three numbers are seen as particularly lucky numbers when they are used as the sum of money put into a red envelope (hongbao 红包) for Chinese New Year or a wedding ceremony. The three numbers all express best wishes for a 'smooth future life'.
"Happy Chinese New Year!" or "Gong xi fa cai!" (Mandarin) or "Kung Hei Fat Choy!" (Cantonese) is a traditional greeting for the Chinese New Year. It is commonly used to wish someone prosperity and happiness in the new year.
What does Fu character in Chinese mean? The Chinese character Fu (福) means happiness, blessing, and good fortune. People across China have the tradition to paste this character on their doors or windows during the Spring Festival to greet the Chinese Lunar New Year (which falls on February 5 this year).
The top five surnames in China – Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu, Chen – are also the top five surnames in the world, each with over 70-100 million worldwide.
666 – Indicates something “cool” or “nice,” derived from gaming slang where it signifies impressive skill (pinyin: liùliùliù). 777 – A variation of 666, meaning “even better.” 7451/7456 – Expresses anger, translating to 气死我了 (pinyin: qìsǐwǒle), meaning “I'm furious.”
"我爱你 is primarily, (I would even venture strictly), used in a romantic context, and very rarely used platonically. However, for expressions of platonic "love" or rather "fondness", we have "我爱你们 is often used for close family or common interest groups.
Wǎnshàng hǎo (晚上好) means "Good evening" in Mandarin Chinese, a polite greeting used in the evening, literally translating to "evening good," combining 晚上 (wǎnshàng - evening/night) and 好 (hǎo - good). While correct, native speakers often use the more casual Nǐ hǎo (你好 - Hello) or save this phrase for more formal situations like addressing an audience or greeting hotel staff.
Fang (Chinese: 方) is the 67th most prevalent Chinese surname. In Chinese, Fāng (方) means "square" or "four-sided". Fāng (方) is pronounced Fong in Cantonese, Hong or Png or Pwee in some Min Nan dialects and Png or Pung in Teochew.
愛 means 'love'
加油 (jiayou) is a Chinese phrase that is a word of encouragement. Its literal translation in English is "to add fuel." The juxtaposition between this Chinese saying and the English idiom, "add fuel to the fire, " offers an interesting perspective.
The master believed the servant and remembered how people passing the mansion were saying 'The fortune has arrived at the master's house'. In response to this occurrence, the practice of arranging “福” upside down was born. Families paste it upside down every Spring festival hoping to receive good fortune.
发 (發) fā issue, dispatch, send out, emit; to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; to make a bundle of money; classifier for gunshots (rounds) 发 (髮) fà
a Chinese character meaning "fortune" (福), also transliterated Fook, Fuku, or Fu.
For Mandarin speakers: If someone says "Gong Xi Fa Cai," a simple and widely accepted reply is "Xie Xie! Ni Ye Hao!" (Thank you! You too!). For more formal settings, add "Zhu Ni Xin Nian Kuai Le" (I wish you a happy new year).
才 (cái) lateness: we use 才 (cái) in the sentence to express something that happens later than expected. And we DO NOT use “了 le” in a 才 (cái) sentence. From the example earlier, let's say you usually wake up around 7 am.
Chinese New Year Greetings for Happiness, Health & Peace
The numbers 6 and 8 are widely considered to be lucky, while 4 is considered unlucky. These traditions are not unique to Chinese culture, with other countries with a history of Han characters also having similar beliefs stemming from these concepts.
In Revelation 13:18, as cited by Dancek, it is the number of "the Beast". The verse indicates that is the number of man as well. A possible reason for this is that mankind was created on the 6th day, so 666 is a three-fold repetition of that.
520 (wǔ èr líng)
It is often used as a shorthand or code for saying “I love you” in text messages, social media posts, or even in spoken language.