Chinese expressions quiz
Your textbook never taught you these.
Could you keep up at a night market, over hotpot, on a date or with friends? Let’s see how many of these you’d catch.
10 expressionsbeginner to advancedabout 2 minutesno sign-up
Word for word: “horse horse tiger tiger”
So what does it really mean? Tap an answer to start.
Press 1 or 2
Chinese expressions quiz
The 10 expressions in this quiz
Word for word, they make no sense. Here’s what people in China actually mean by them.
马马虎虎mǎmǎhūhū
BeginnerWord for word: “horse horse tiger tiger”
So-so, just OK
“最近怎么样？”“马马虎虎吧。” “How have you been?” “So-so.”
Fine at work吃醋chīcù
BeginnerWord for word: “to eat vinegar”
To be jealous
我只是跟同事吃了顿饭，男朋友就吃醋了。 I only had dinner with a colleague and my boyfriend got jealous.
With friends放鸽子fàng gēzi
BeginnerWord for word: “to release the pigeons”
To stand someone up
说好七点见面，他又放我鸽子了。 We said we’d meet at seven and he stood me up again.
With friends拍马屁pāi mǎpì
IntermediateWord for word: “to pat the horse’s backside”
To suck up to someone
他天天拍老板马屁，烦死了。 He sucks up to the boss every single day. It’s so annoying.
With friends吹牛chuīniú
IntermediateWord for word: “to blow the cow”
To brag, talk big
别听他吹牛，他根本不会开飞机。 Don’t listen to him bragging, he can’t fly a plane at all.
With friends炒鱿鱼chǎo yóuyú
IntermediateWord for word: “to stir-fry squid”
To fire someone
他上班老迟到，结果被老板炒鱿鱼了。 He was always late for work, and in the end the boss fired him.
Fine at work走后门zǒu hòumén
IntermediateWord for word: “to go through the back door”
To pull strings
听说他这份工作是走后门找到的。 Apparently he got this job by pulling strings.
Fine at work打酱油dǎ jiàngyóu
AdvancedWord for word: “to go buy soy sauce”
Not involved, just passing by
别问我，我就是来打酱油的。 Don’t ask me, I’m just passing through.
With friends躺平tǎngpíng
AdvancedWord for word: “to lie flat”
To opt out of the rat race (slang)
天天加班太累了，我决定躺平一阵子。 All this overtime is exhausting, I’ve decided to opt out for a while.
With friends呵呵hēhē
AdvancedWord for word: “ha ha”
Yeah, right (dry, sarcastic)
他说下次约会一定准时。呵呵。 He says he’ll definitely be on time for our next date. Yeah, right.
With friends
Questions
Are these expressions still used?
Yes, every day. The quiz leaves out anything dated or crude, and every answer tells you where it’s safe to say: fine at work, with friends, or best avoided.
Why does the quiz go from beginner to advanced?
The first three are common and you’ll hear them early on. The last three need nuance, like sarcasm or mood, which is where most learners lose the thread.
What do I get if I unlock the 15?
A free deck with all 25 expressions, added for you when you finish setting up: the 10 from the quiz (the ones you missed first, each with its example), then the 15 new ones. Every card has audio and comes back for review just before you’d forget it.
Is this Mandarin, and do I need to read characters?
It’s Mandarin, in simplified characters as used in mainland China. Every expression shows pinyin with tone marks, so you can play without reading characters.