Chinese Curse Words: 25 Swear Words and Insults (and What 妈的 Means)

沉浸 TeamSeptember 16, 20267 min read

The Chinese curse words you'll hear most are 妈的 (mā de, roughly "damn it") and its stronger form 他妈的 (tā mā de), plus the shouted 靠 (kào, "dang!") and the insult 傻逼 (shǎbī, an extremely rude "idiot"). If you've watched a Chinese drama or scrolled Chinese comments, you've met all four already.

This guide explains 25 Chinese swear words and insults, what they literally mean, and how strong each one is on a scale from "mild grumble" to "never say this". The goal is understanding: you'll recognize these in films, games, and real life, and know which ones would get a learner into trouble. It's the companion to our Chinese slang guide and part of the essential Chinese phrases series.

A quick word on how Chinese swearing works

English swearing leans on religion and sex. Chinese swearing leans on family, especially mothers and ancestors, and on animals (turtles, eggs, dogs). That's why so many of the words below contain 妈 (mother). Insulting someone's mother or ancestors is the deepest cut in a culture built on family, which is exactly why those words carry weight.

Strength is marked below as mild (fine among friends, you'll hear it from grandmas), rude (don't say it to a stranger), or very strong (fighting words).

What does 妈的 mean?

妈的 (mā de) is the most-searched Chinese curse word, and it's the everyday "damn it". Literally it's "mother's", the tail end of a longer phrase with the object dropped. People mutter it when they drop something or miss a bus. It's rude but common, closer to "damn" than to anything stronger.

妈的 (mā de): damn it. Rude, common.
他妈的 (tā mā de): "his mother's", the famous all-purpose intensifier that the writer Lu Xun called China's "national swear word". It can be an exclamation ("damn!") or slotted into a sentence for emphasis: 这他妈的太贵了 ("this is way too damn expensive"). Rude.
你妈 (nǐ mā): "your mother". Aimed at a person, this is a direct insult. Very strong.
去你妈的 (qù nǐ mā de): "go to your mother's", the Chinese "screw you". Very strong.

The 操 / 靠 / 卧槽 family

The strongest single Chinese swear word is 操 (cào), the direct equivalent of the English f-word. Because it's so strong, Chinese speakers have invented a whole set of softened versions, the way English has "frick" and "shoot".

操 (cào): the f-word, as an exclamation or a verb. Often written 草 (grass, also cǎo) or 艹 online to dodge filters. Very strong.
靠 (kào) / 我靠 (wǒ kào): the everyday softened version, "dang!" or "whoa!". Extremely common among young people, and mild enough for most TV. Mild to rude.
卧槽 (wò cáo): "holy crap!" This started as a filter-dodging spelling of 我操 and became its own word. It expresses shock more than anger, and you'll see it in a huge share of Chinese internet comments. Rude, very common.
我去 (wǒ qù): "I go", the cleanest cousin of the family. Sounds like "oh man!" and is safe almost anywhere. Mild.

If you want one exclamation you can safely borrow, it's 我去. If you say 卧槽 in front of your Chinese teacher, expect a raised eyebrow.

Chinese insults: calling someone stupid

傻逼 (shǎbī), often typed SB: the most common Chinese insult online, and one of the rudest. 傻 means silly; the second character is a crude word for female anatomy. Think of it as "f-ing idiot". Very strong.
傻瓜 (shǎguā): "silly melon", a fool. Soft enough that couples use it affectionately. Mild.
笨蛋 (bèndàn): "stupid egg", dummy. Also mild, also used between friends. Mild.
白痴 (báichī): idiot, moron. Sharper than 笨蛋. Rude.
二百五 (èrbǎiwǔ): "250", a dolt. There are several folk stories about why 250 means stupid; the usual one involves a string of 500 coins being split in half. Mild, funny.
神经病 (shénjīngbìng): "you're nuts", literally "nerve disease". Common, and ruder than it sounds in translation. Rude.

Eggs, turtles, and dogs

A large group of Chinese insults is built on 蛋 (egg), because "bastard" is literally "egg" in Chinese.

混蛋 (húndàn): "mixed egg", a bastard, a jerk. Very common in dramas. Rude.
王八蛋 (wángbādàn): "turtle egg", a stronger bastard. 王八 (turtle) is itself an insult, because folklore has it that turtles can't tell who their father is. Very strong.
坏蛋 (huàidàn): "bad egg", a villain or scoundrel. So mild that kids' cartoons use it for the bad guy. Mild.
狗屁 (gǒupì): "dog fart", nonsense, bull. 你说的都是狗屁 ("everything you said is crap"). Rude.
放屁 (fàngpì): literally "to fart", used as "nonsense!" or "bull!" Rude but funny.

Telling someone to go away

滚 (gǔn) / 滚开 (gǔn kāi): "roll!", get lost, get out. Short and aggressive. Rude.
闭嘴 (bìzuǐ): shut up. Direct, not a swear word, but not polite. Rude.
去死 (qù sǐ): "go die", drop dead. Said in real anger it's serious; between teasing friends it's an eye-roll. Rude to very strong.

Mild curses your grandma might say

These are the words to learn first, because they're safe, common, and give you the flavor without the risk.

该死 (gāisǐ): "deserves to die", used like "damn it" or "dang". Very common in dubbed movies. Mild.
讨厌 (tǎoyàn): "annoying!", "ugh!" Often playful, and a favorite of people pretending to be mad. Mild.
见鬼 (jiànguǐ): "see a ghost", what the heck. Mild.
妈呀 (mā ya): "oh mother!", a surprised "oh my gosh". No insult in it at all. Mild.
变态 (biàntài): pervert, weirdo. Rude when meant, but also a joking word for someone who is scarily good at something. Rude, context-dependent.

Chinese swear words that are compliments

Two words use rude components but mean something good, which confuses learners:

牛逼 (niúbī), typed NB or written 牛B: "awesome", "badass". The second character is the same crude one as in 傻逼, so this is vulgar praise. Say it about a friend's exam score, not in a job interview. The cleaned-up version is just 牛 (niú, "cow"), which means "impressive" and is fine anywhere.
屌 (diǎo): a crude word for male anatomy that flipped into "cool" in Taiwan and Hong Kong slang. 很屌 = "so cool". Same rule: friends only.

Should learners swear in Chinese?

Mostly no, and here's the honest reason. A native speaker swearing sounds natural because they know the room. A learner swearing sounds like they picked it up from a drama, because they did. Foreign accents also make swear words sound either comical or more aggressive than intended, since the tones come out wrong. Recognizing these words is a real skill that makes shows and comments sections readable. Using them is a different skill you'll earn slowly, with friends who'd correct you.

Safe borrowings, in order of safety: 我去, 讨厌, 该死, 我靠. Everything with 妈 in it stays in your listening vocabulary for now.

Every linked word above has a dictionary page with audio, so you can hear how 靠 and 该死 sound with the right tones. Create a free Chenjin account to save the ones you want to remember and read them in context in real stories, where the mild ones show up more than you'd think.

FAQ

What does "ma de" mean in Chinese?

妈的 (mā de) means "damn it". It's literally "mother's" and is the short form of 他妈的 (tā mā de), the classic Chinese swear word. It's rude but everyday, closer to "damn" than to the f-word.

What is the worst Chinese swear word?

操 (cào), the direct f-word, especially aimed at someone's mother (操你妈). 傻逼 (shǎbī) is the strongest common insult. Both are fighting words.

What does "wo cao" mean?

卧槽 (wò cáo) means "holy crap!" or "no way!". It started as a filter-dodging spelling of 我操 and is now one of the most common exclamations in Chinese internet comments. It shows shock more than anger, but it's still vulgar.

What does SB mean in Chinese?

SB is the pinyin initials of 傻逼 (shǎbī), a very rude word for "idiot". You'll see it in gaming chat and comment sections. Avoid it.

Why are Chinese insults about eggs and turtles?

蛋 (egg) stands in for "bastard" in Chinese, so 混蛋, 王八蛋 and 坏蛋 are all "X egg" insults. The turtle (王八) got its bad reputation from folklore that turtles don't know their own fathers, so "turtle egg" implies unclear parentage.