China has a thriving internet culture and is home to a wide variety of memes, many of which are specific to the country and may not be understood by people outside of it.
In this article, we will take an insider’s look at some of the most popular Chinese memes that only locals will understand.
D’Angelo Dinero Smile
The grinning face of American wrestler and color commentator D’Angelo Dinero has been made into numerous pictures and gifs that people use in online communication. It is a legacy meme and one of the most used expression packages in Chinese internet discourse.
Cai Xukun Plays Basketball
If someone tells others on the field, how can you “play like basketball like Cai Xukun,” it is meant as a negative remark. The stalk of Cai Xukun playing basketball originated from a self-introduction by Cai Xukun, saying that he likes singing, dancing, rap and basketball. After the introduction, he took a basketball and started to show his skills.
YYDS
YYDS is a chinese slang word meaning greatest of all time (GOAT). It is often used to describe top figures in a given industry:
- The achievement in his professional field is extremely high, reaching a realm that ordinary people cannot surpass, and I admire it very much;
- The person you most admire and like in the gaming field;
- In his mind, he has a very high musical talent, and he likes singers, movie stars, etc.
Human High Quality Male Courtship Video
In the video, Mr. Xu introduced himself in nervous manner, which a peculiar appearance which has been called “greasy or oily” by many Chinese netizens. Netizens also joked that he was conducting an interview. He claimed in the video that he has superior wealth and educational background, is engaged in the financial industry, respects women, can meet the requirements of women in all aspects, and proposes many of his own advantages. Therefore, he prides himself on high-quality men and wants to find a Human High-quality women through this video.
Thank Q
Shuan Q comes from the voice shaking blogger @TeacherLiu. This blogger is self-taught in English. He practices his speaking in English every day, but what makes people laugh is that his English pronunciation has a strong personal color and accent.
Super Idol
Super Idol 的笑容都没你的甜 refers to cropped lyric from a Chinese song:
热爱105°C的你 by 阿肆
Rè’ài 105°C de nǐ.
You Who Love 105°C by ASi
The song gained popularity after Douyin user Zmcmtianyiming sang the song on his video.
Jacky Cheung
Jacky Cheung’s (Cheng Hok Yau) emoticon is from Wong Kar-wai’s movie “Carmen in Mong Kok” (旺角卡门).
The movie was released in 1988 and was the first film filmed on the journey of director Wong Kar Wai. It tells the story of Andy Hua, a member of the underworld, played by Andy Lau, in order to take care of the incompetent little brother Wu Fei played by Jacky Cheung, and the story of a vengeance with the underworld character.
Conclusion
Overall, Chinese memes and internet slang are an integral part of the country’s internet culture and provide a unique look into the thoughts and experiences of locals. While many of these memes and terms may not be understood by people outside of China, they are an important part of the country’s online community and provide a glimpse into the humor and daily life of its people.
