Gossip & rumours in Chinese 八卦
bāguà
Gossip in Chinese is 八卦 (bā guà).
Also searched for as: gossiping, rumors, rumours, spill the tea, hearsay, juicy gossip.
Who said what about whom, and did you hear? 15 essential gossip & rumours words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Gossip in Chinese is 八卦 (bā guà), a word that works as a noun, a verb and even an adjective for someone nosy. Most juicy stories start with 听说 (tīng shuō), "I heard that…", and end with 别告诉别人 (bié gào su bié rén), "don't tell anyone". Online slang adds a twist: 吃瓜 (chī guā), literally "eating melon", means sitting back and watching the drama unfold, and the gossip itself is a 瓜 (guā).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 八卦 | bā guà | gossip; to gossip; nosy |
| 谣言 | yáo yán | rumour (usually false) |
| 传言 | chuán yán | rumour; hearsay |
| 听说 | tīng shuō | to hear (that) |
| 吃瓜 | chī guā | to watch the drama unfold (slang) |
| 瓜 | guā | juicy gossip (slang) |
| 爆料 | bào liào | to leak; to spill the details |
| 背后说 | bèi hòu shuō | to talk behind someone's back |
| 传出去 | chuán chū qu | to spread; to get out |
| 别告诉别人 | bié gào su bié rén | don't tell anyone |
| 秘密 | mì mì | secret |
| 真的假的 | zhēn de jiǎ de | seriously?; no way! |
| 小道消息 | xiǎo dào xiāo xi | grapevine; unofficial news |
| 绯闻 | fēi wén | romance rumour (about a celebrity) |
| 嚼舌根 | jiáo shé gēn | to gossip maliciously; to wag tongues |
Usage tips
- 八卦 can describe a person: 你真八卦！ (nǐ zhēn bā guà!), you're so nosy!, usually said teasingly; chatting about gossip is 聊八卦 (liáo bā guà).
- 谣言 (yáo yán) almost always means a false rumour, while 传言 (chuán yán) is neutral hearsay that may turn out to be true, and 小道消息 (xiǎo dào xiāo xi) is news from the grapevine.
- Online, onlookers call themselves 吃瓜群众 (chī guā qún zhòng), "the melon-eating masses"; the casual reaction to surprising news is 真的假的？ (zhēn de jiǎ de?), seriously?
Common mistakes
- Using 嚼舌根 (jiáo shé gēn) for harmless chat: it's disapproving and implies malicious gossip → for light-hearted gossip say 八卦 or 聊八卦.
- Translating "don't talk behind my back" word for word as 别说我后面 → say 别在背后说我 (bié zài bèi hòu shuō wǒ).
- Using 绯闻 (fēi wén) for any gossip: it means rumours of a romance, usually about celebrities → for general gossip use 八卦.
Mini dialogue
- A听说小王和小李分手了，真的假的？Tīng shuō Xiǎo Wáng hé Xiǎo Lǐ fēn shǒu le, zhēn de jiǎ de?I heard Xiao Wang and Xiao Li broke up. Is it true?
- B你怎么这么八卦！不过……好像是真的。Nǐ zěn me zhè me bā guà! Bù guò... hǎo xiàng shì zhēn de.You're so nosy! But... it seems to be true.
- A谁告诉你的？Shéi gào su nǐ de?Who told you?
- B小道消息，不一定准。你别告诉别人啊！Xiǎo dào xiāo xi, bù yī dìng zhǔn. Nǐ bié gào su bié rén a!I heard it on the grapevine, so it might not be accurate. Don't tell anyone!
- A放心，我就是来吃瓜的。Fàng xīn, wǒ jiù shì lái chī guā de.Don't worry, I'm just here for the drama.
Example sentences
- 她特别喜欢八卦。She loves a good gossip.
- 别相信那些谣言。Don't believe those rumours.
- 有传言说他要辞职了。Rumour has it he's going to quit.
- 听说他们俩分手了。I heard those two broke up.
- 我就是来吃瓜的。I'm just here for the drama.
- 最近有什么新瓜吗？Any juicy gossip lately?
- 有人在网上爆料了。Someone spilled the details online.
- 别在背后说别人。Don't talk about people behind their backs.
- 这件事千万别传出去。Whatever you do, don't let this get out.
- 我跟你说，你别告诉别人。I'll tell you, but don't tell anyone.
- 这是我们俩的秘密。This is our little secret.
- 真的假的？他结婚了？No way! He got married?
- 这是小道消息，不一定准。I heard it on the grapevine, it might not be true.
- 那个明星又有绯闻了。That celebrity's been linked to someone again.
- 她就爱嚼舌根。She just loves spreading nasty gossip.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Gossip & rumours speaking island has 8 everyday questions about gossip & rumours to prepare your own answers to.