How to swear in Chinese

I’ve taken several sets of Chinese lessons and both times I was stunned by what I was taught. It was all ordering food, telling taxi drivers to drop you off just before the corner and asking strangers if they have any brothers or sisters, now, all of these can be handled perfectly well by pointing and making random noises (with the exception of the last one which is a bit redundant in a country with a one child policy) so this is all just meaningless waffle. Anyway, this is all well and good until you’re actually turned loose on the street and can’t even tell the bag-watch man to “shit off” or the kids handing out travel agency cards to imbibe your excretia.

Here’s a few things I’ve learn’t since I’ve been here, I’ll keep updating this: Apologies for the poor pinyin, i’m sort of making it up as I go along to fit the sounds.

Oh, by the way, people go on about tones being important, I don’t know about all that but I know that when you’re swearing you just need to look a bit angry, shout it and add something like “aaah” at the end for authenticity

Sha Gua - idiot (gang du in shanghainese)

zhu tou san – pig head

Er Bai Wu – “250″ – stupid

Shi San Dien - “13 points” – stupid, normally for a girl

Bun Dan - stupid

Shen Jin Bing - stupid

Shi – shit

Bee Shi - nose shit

Fong Pi - fart

Da Bien – big relief – a “long toilet visit”

Xiao Bien – little relief – a wee

Niu Niu – wee wee

Ta Ma De – errr I forgot

Pao Niu - hunting for girls (wo qu pao niu - i’m going hunting for girls)

Sha Bee - stupid “womans area”

Qu Si Ba - go to your death

Qu Ni Ma De – go to your mother

Da Fae Ji - “shoot the plane” – the good old five knuckle shuffle

Biao Zi - bitch / whore

Ji Nu – whore

Xiao Di Di – “little brother”

Pi Gu - arse

Gang Men - arsehole

Ni Gan Ma? – what are you doing? (rudely)

Ni Zhe Shi Gan Shen Me – what the hell are you doing?

Shao Nin – farmer / peasant (in shanghainese), very derogatory

Tong Zi – ‘comrade’, a gentleman who prefers the company of other gentleman

Nu Tong Zi – the ‘lady’ in the above arrangement

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13 Comments

  1. jon
    Posted July 15, 2008 at 9:17 pm | Permalink

    hello,mate! there is something i got to put right:
    te ma de means “fuck!” sha bee means “pussy” or “cunt”
    Qu Ni Ma De means ” fuck you,man!”
    Xiao Di Di means “penis without erection”
    Qu Si Ba means ” go to the hell”
    Shen Jin Bing means” are you crazy!?”
    Da Fae Ji means” hand job” or “wank”

  2. jon
    Posted July 15, 2008 at 9:24 pm | Permalink

    oops! here i am again!
    i have to tell you another how-to-swear-in-chinese, for instant:
    cao ni ma bee means ” you mother fucker!”
    ni zhe ge ji ba means” you a fucking prick!”
    shou chong wang means”wanker”
    da bian means “you piece of a shite!”

  3. dinglesp
    Posted July 15, 2008 at 11:41 pm | Permalink

    ah, thanks Jon, you are a bad influence!!!!

  4. Colin
    Posted July 16, 2008 at 8:32 am | Permalink

    Ta Ma De means “your momma” but is used in a similar fashion as “damnit”
    Qu Ni Ma De means ” go f*** your momma”
    Xiao Di Di actually just means “little brother” or “your little pee pee” but it is common since most locals are little anyway.

  5. dinglesp
    Posted July 16, 2008 at 8:00 pm | Permalink

    Colin, you are a gent, thankyou sir

  6. jon
    Posted July 16, 2008 at 8:35 pm | Permalink

    oh come on! am i a bad influence,huh?!
    aye,mate , i just told you the way how chinese people swear in their daily life!

  7. dinglesp
    Posted July 16, 2008 at 9:24 pm | Permalink

    calm down jon, it’s a compliment in the UK

  8. jon
    Posted July 17, 2008 at 8:33 pm | Permalink

    i am calm,i am calm

  9. Posted September 26, 2008 at 5:48 am | Permalink

    LOL, I can see your chinese must be ver ygood now….

  10. Miss Jane
    Posted December 2, 2008 at 2:40 pm | Permalink

    Is this all searchable on Wiki?

  11. dinglesp
    Posted December 2, 2008 at 6:54 pm | Permalink

    Errr I don’t know, didn’t check!

  12. Bluebones
    Posted June 21, 2009 at 5:08 pm | Permalink

    Jon TY man now i know when im being cussed out by chinese in the game i play

  13. Posted November 16, 2009 at 1:05 am | Permalink

    I have been studying Mandarin for a year, but my teacher always refused to teach me bad words! Thanks for this selection! I´m sure it will be helpful sometime when i will be in Shanghai ;)

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