Memes & viral phrases in Chinese 网络热梗
wǎngluò rè gěng
Meme in Chinese is 梗 (gěng).
Also searched for as: Chinese memes, viral phrases, trending phrases, Chinese meme meaning, geng meaning.
The jokes everyone online is in on. 15 essential memes & viral phrases 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 everyday word for a meme or running joke in Chinese is 梗 (gěng), and someone who loves dropping references is said to 玩梗 (wán gěng). Chinese internet slang moves fast, but a core set of phrases such as 我太难了 (wǒ tài nán le) and 真香 (zhēn xiāng) has become part of ordinary chat. Knowing them helps you follow comment sections, group chats and friends who talk the way people type.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 梗 | gěng | meme; running joke |
| 玩梗 | wán gěng | to make meme references |
| 热搜 | rè sōu | trending topics (on Weibo) |
| 火了 | huǒ le | to go viral; to blow up |
| 刷屏 | shuā píng | to flood everyone's feed |
| 鬼畜 | guǐ chù | fast-cut remix video; mashup |
| 真香 | zhēn xiāng | "actually it's great" (eating your words) |
| 我太难了 | wǒ tài nán le | my life is so hard (joking) |
| 柠檬精 | níng méng jīng | jealous person (sour as a lemon) |
| 上头 | shàng tóu | addictive; can't get enough |
| 芭比Q了 | bā bǐ Q le | it's over; I'm toast (from "barbecue") |
| 我裂开了 | wǒ liè kāi le | I'm falling apart (shocked or upset) |
| 蚌埠住了 | bèng bù zhù le | can't hold it together (pun on 绷不住) |
| 狗头 | gǒu tóu | just kidding (the doge emoji) |
| 一整个爱住了 | yī zhěng ge ài zhù le | totally in love with it |
Usage tips
- Many memes are puns built on sound: 蚌埠住了 (bèng bù zhù le) borrows the city name 蚌埠 (Bèngbù) to stand in for 绷不住了 (bēng bu zhù le), "can't keep it together". If a phrase makes no literal sense, try reading it aloud.
- 火了 (huǒ le) is the natural way to say something went viral, while 上热搜 (shàng rè sōu) specifically means it reached the trending list on Weibo. Use 刷屏 (shuā píng) when the same thing fills everyone's WeChat Moments or feed.
- Save these for friends and social media. With teachers, older relatives or at work, phrases like 芭比Q了 (bā bǐ Q le) or 我裂开了 (wǒ liè kāi le) can sound childish, so a plain 完了 (wán le), "that's it, I'm done for", is safer.
Common mistakes
- Learners often say 梗 with a fourth tone, mixing it up with 更 (gèng, "even more"). The meme word is third tone: 梗 (gěng).
- As a meme, 真香 (zhēn xiāng) isn't just "smells great": it means you swore you'd never do something and now you love it. Save it for moments when someone, often yourself, eats their words.
- Learners sometimes avoid 狗头 (gǒu tóu) because "dog head" sounds rude, but online it simply means "just kidding". Adding 狗头保命 (gǒu tóu bǎo mìng) after a cheeky comment shows you mean no offence.
Mini dialogue
- A你看热搜了吗？那个猫的视频火了。Nǐ kàn rè sōu le ma? Nà ge māo de shì pín huǒ le.Have you seen the trending list? That cat video has gone viral.
- B看了，朋友圈都刷屏了。Kàn le, péng you quān dōu shuā píng le.Yes, it's all over my Moments.
- A评论里大家都在玩梗，太好笑了。Píng lùn li dà jiā dōu zài wán gěng, tài hǎo xiào le.Everyone in the comments is making meme references, it's hilarious.
- B我也想看，可是又要加班，我太难了。Wǒ yě xiǎng kàn, kě shì yòu yào jiā bān, wǒ tài nán le.I want to watch it too, but I've got overtime again. My life is so hard.
Example sentences
- 你没看懂这个梗吗？Didn't you get the meme?
- 他说话老爱玩梗。He's always making meme references.
- 这件事上热搜了。This story is trending.
- 他的视频一夜之间火了。His video went viral overnight.
- 这张照片刷屏了。That photo is all over everyone's feed.
- B站上有很多鬼畜视频。There are loads of remix videos on Bilibili.
- 说好不吃的，结果真香！I said I wouldn't eat it, and then... so good!
- 又要加班，我太难了。Overtime again, my life is so hard.
- 看到别人去旅游，我成了柠檬精。Seeing everyone on holiday, I'm green with envy.
- 这首歌太上头了！This song is so addictive!
- 作业还没写，芭比Q了。I haven't done my homework, I'm toast.
- 手机摔坏了，我裂开了。I dropped and broke my phone, I'm falling apart.
- 看到这个视频我蚌埠住了。I couldn't hold it together watching that video.
- 开个玩笑，狗头保命！Just kidding, doge emoji so nobody gets cross!
- 这只小猫好可爱，一整个爱住了！This kitten is so cute, I'm totally in love!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Memes & viral phrases speaking island has 8 everyday questions about memes & viral phrases to prepare your own answers to.