Chinese slang words are awesome to know since they are a mirror of current Chinese culture. Knowing Chinese slang is kind of like being initiated into a secret club of cool kids. Chinese slang words are rarely taught in the classroom, nor in textbooks. As with all languages, Chinese has an informal set of slang words which can be quite useful to know in life in China and can help you communicate better.

Chinese language changes constantly, it shaped by the pop culture, the latest trends, the internet, etc. It's an important element of daily conversation without which you may struggle to understand what those native speakers are talking about. In this article, we will provide you one common slang word you may come across in daily conversations.

In a literal sense, 土 tǔ means soil or dirt.When it is used as an adjective, it means "outdated", "unfashionable", or "unsophisticated", For example:

你真土，连肯德基都没吃过。Nǐ zhēn tǔ, lián Kěndéjī dōu méi chīguo.You're really outdated, you haven't even had KFC yet.

这个外套的图案对我来说土了有点儿土。Zhège wàitào de tú'àn duì wǒ lái shuō yǒudiǎn'r tǔ.The pattern of this jacket is too unfashionable for my taste.

Literally, it means "to eat dust".

Colloquially, it means "to be very poor", For example:

我不跟你们去酒吧了，我最近都要吃土了。

Wǒ bù gēn nǐmen qù jiǔbā le, wǒ zuìjìn dōu yào chī tǔ le.

I'm not coming to the bar with you guys, because I've been very poor recently.

工资花完了，我要吃土了。

Gōngzī huā wán le，wǒ yào chī tǔ le.

I have spent all my salary, now I'm broke.

There are a lot of popular Chinese slang words. Memorize and practice using them in your Chinese conversation, and your language skills will definitely sound more native. Using slang is also great way to not to express yourself more clearly, but also a great way to understand the Chinese culture too.

There are over 100 Chinese slang words and phrases 俚语(Lǐyǔ). You don't have to be a Sinologist to fit in China. Learning Chinese slang is fun and rewarding since you can see yourself getting closer to fluency and real-world language. It is important to go beyond textbook words and understand what's going on in reality with the locals.  This article will help you get on your way to mastering both textbook and colloquial Chinese!