Chinese Words with No English Equivalent

Unlike English or other alphabetic languages, Chinese words and phrases sometimes cannot be translated as their literal meaning indicates because many Chinese characters carry more than one meaning. So I believe this is somehow frustrating when you first learn Chinese. But no worries! There is only a small number of them! And today, I will show you the five most interesting ones with no English equivalent.

1. 老外 lǎo wài

When you arrived in China, this word might have been the most common Chinese word that Chinese people said when they saw you. The literal meaning of “lǎowài” is “old outside.” This word was first believed to carry a negative meaning when describing foreigners. But as time goes by, it has turned out to be a more and more positive and common word, even a cute nickname for foreigners. So next time, when Chinese people call you lǎowài, don’t get mad!

2. 吃醋 chīcù

If you have a Chinese girlfriend or boyfriend, then this word might be very useful! The literal meaning of “chīcù” is “eating vinegar.” (Don’t ask me why it isn’t drink vinegar; this is something that just cannot be explained, and it has always been like this.) So, this word is used to describe your loved one feeling jealous when he/she sees you flirting with others. ‘Chīcù’ has no negative meaning and actually is perceived as kind of cute when people are acting “chīcù.” For example, when you see your girlfriend/ boyfriend flirting with others or treating other people too nice, you can say “Wǒ chīcù le.” 我吃醋了。

3. 加油 jiāyóu

When you have the chance to join a sports competition with Chinese people or even watch games on TV in a bar with Chinese friends, you will hear this word very often, which literally means “add gas/oil” and is used to encourage someone when he/she is about to have a match, a job interview, an exam or a show performance, etc. For example, when your friend tells you she/ he has an HSK exam tomorrow, you can say “Jiāyóu jiāyóu!” 加油加油!

4. 先生 xiānsheng

Actually, this is a quite common word meaning Mr. or Sir. But its literal meaning in Chinese is “first born.” Amazing, huh? Maybe the ancestors in China believed man was born before woman. If you address someone in Chinese, please don’t forget to put the name of the person in front of ‘\xiānsheng. For example, Mr. Wang in Chinese is Wáng xiānsheng.

5. 客气 kèqi

You may already know this word to say, “You are welcome” - bú kèqi 不客气. But have you ever asked your teacher or Chinese friends what is 客气 kèqi? They may not be able to give you an exact word in English for 客气 kèqi. The closest equivalent is “polite,” which comes from its literal meaning “guest air,” for guests are mostly polite, right? So, the literal translation of bú kèqi 不客气 is “no polite,” to which is suitable to reply “thanks.”
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