Livestreaming & streamers in Chinese 直播
zhíbō
Livestream in Chinese is 直播 (zhí bō).
Also searched for as: livestream, streamer, live streaming, going live, Twitch, Huya.
Streamers, bullet comments and virtual gifts. 15 essential livestreaming & streamers 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.
The word for livestreaming in Chinese is 直播 (zhí bō), literally 'direct broadcast', and a streamer is a 主播 (zhǔ bō). Streaming is a huge part of Chinese online life, covering gaming, chatting and shopping, and it has its own etiquette: viewers type 弹幕 (dàn mù, bullet comments), send virtual 礼物 (lǐ wù, gifts) and hope for a shout-out. These words help you join in.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 直播 | zhí bō | livestream; to stream |
| 主播 | zhǔ bō | streamer; host |
| 直播间 | zhí bō jiān | stream (channel) |
| 开播 | kāi bō | to go live |
| 下播 | xià bō | to end the stream |
| 弹幕 | dàn mù | bullet comments |
| 打赏 | dǎ shǎng | to tip (a streamer) |
| 礼物 | lǐ wù | virtual gift |
| 榜一大哥 | bǎng yī dà gē | top gifter |
| 关注 | guān zhù | to follow |
| 粉丝 | fěn sī | follower; fan |
| 连麦 | lián mài | to go on a joint stream |
| 房管 | fáng guǎn | stream moderator |
| 带货 | dài huò | to sell products on stream |
| 虎牙 | Hǔ yá | Huya (streaming platform) |
Usage tips
- 开播 (kāi bō) is going live and 下播 (xià bō) is ending a stream; the stream itself is often called a 直播间 (zhí bō jiān), literally 'livestream room'.
- 榜一大哥 (bǎng yī dà gē) is the viewer at the top of the gift leaderboard; streamers often thank generous viewers as 大哥 (dà gē, big brother) whatever their age.
- 带货 (dài huò), literally 'bringing goods', means selling products during a stream, and 直播带货 (zhí bō dài huò) is a major way people shop online in China.
Common mistakes
- Using 跟随 (gēn suí) for following a streamer → the word is 关注 (guān zhù), as in 点个关注 (diǎn gè guān zhù), 'hit follow'.
- Calling a streamer a 主持人 (zhǔ chí rén) → 主持人 is a TV host or presenter; online streamers are 主播 (zhǔ bō).
Mini dialogue
- A你在看什么？这么多弹幕。Nǐ zài kàn shén me? Zhè me duō dàn mù.What are you watching? So many bullet comments.
- B一个游戏主播的直播，他特别搞笑。Yī gè yóu xì zhǔ bō de zhí bō, tā tè bié gǎo xiào.A gaming streamer's stream, he's hilarious.
- A他几点开播？Tā jǐ diǎn kāi bō?What time does he go live?
- B每天晚上八点。刚才榜一大哥又送了好多礼物。Měi tiān wǎn shang bā diǎn. Gāng cái bǎng yī dà gē yòu sòng le hǎo duō lǐ wù.Every night at eight. The top gifter just sent loads of gifts again.
- A看起来不错，我也点个关注吧。Kàn qǐ lái bù cuò, wǒ yě diǎn gè guān zhù ba.Looks good, I'll give him a follow too.
Example sentences
- 他每天晚上八点直播。He streams every night at eight.
- 这个主播打游戏特别搞笑。This streamer is hilarious when he plays.
- 欢迎来到我的直播间！Welcome to my stream!
- 主播怎么还没开播？Why hasn't the streamer gone live yet?
- 今天就到这儿，下播了！That's it for today, ending the stream!
- 弹幕太多了，看不见画面。There are too many bullet comments, I can't see the picture.
- 有人给主播打赏了一千块。Someone tipped the streamer 1,000 yuan.
- 谢谢大哥送的礼物！Thanks for the gift, bro!
- 榜一大哥又来了！The top gifter is back!
- 喜欢的话点个关注！If you like it, hit follow!
- 她的粉丝已经过百万了。She's got over a million followers.
- 两个主播连麦PK。The two streamers went head to head on a joint stream.
- 房管把那个人禁言了。The mod muted that person.
- 现在很多主播都在直播带货。Lots of streamers sell products on their streams now.
- 我一般在虎牙看游戏直播。I usually watch game streams on Huya.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Livestreaming & streamers speaking island has 8 everyday questions about livestreaming & streamers to prepare your own answers to.