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CHAPTER SEVEN

Behaving Badly

In the last few decades leading up to the 1949 Communist revolution, the city of Shanghai was unquestionably the most sinful place on earth. “If God lets Shanghai endure, he owes an apology to Sodom and Gomorrah,” said one missionary living there in the early twenties.

The Whore of Asia, as the city was known, was born in 1842 at the conclusion of the Opium War, when the British forced imperial China to open the port city to foreign trade, and the British—soon followed by the Americans, the French, and numerous other nationalities—quickly established settlements there, each governed by its own rule of law. The mishmash of completely different governments, laws, and courts meant that evading arrest was as simple as walking a block in one direction or another (or buying a fake passport for some random nationality). That, the extreme contrasts of fabulous wealth and decrepit poverty, the opium business driving all the city’s moneymaking, the political turmoil brought about by the overthrow of imperial rule, and an ensuing period during which various parts of China were ruled by a rotating cast of brutally violent warlords—not to mention numerous other causes—all combined to make Shanghai the final destination for hedonists, capitalists, adventurers, journalists, businessmen, prostitutes, gangsters, political refugees, gun runners, intel lectuals, arms dealers, movie stars, and dilettantes from every corner of the globe.

Decadence reached its apex in the 1930s, when the opium trade had grown into a full-fledged international drug cartel trafficking in morphine, heroin, and cocaine. The cargo made its way into Europe, South America, and the United States—all controlled by a Chinese mob boss who was simultaneously head of the Nationalist government’s Opium Suppression Bureau. The city had three hundred jazz cabarets and a hundred thousand prostitutes, organized gambling thrived on the largest scale of any city in the world, in addition to opium parlors and gambling halls there were nightclubs that featured erotic shows with real live onstage sex, and at some hotels you could order heroin via room service.

Today Shanghai is still known for its nightlife but compared to its heyday is a relatively staid financial city. The influx of foreigners coming to misbehave, however, continues, alive and well, throughout the country. For most, this seems to involve drinking oneself into oblivion every night, doing a lot of drugs, and sleeping around with the locals while teaching English and “finding yourself.”

Whether your vice of choice is methamphetamines or auto theft, hookers galore or simply partying till dawn, here is the necessary vocabulary for every naughty deed under the Eastern sun.

Fun and partying

玩 wán (wahn)

Play. A generic word for going out, partying, or any kind of social activity.

外出 wài chū (why choo)

Going out.

酒吧 jǐubā (joe bah)

Bar.

夜总会 yèzǒnghuì (yeh dzohng hway)

Club. Literally “night meeting.”

迪厅 dītīng (dee teeng)

Club. Literally “disco hall.”

夜店 yèdiàn (yeh dyinn)

Nightclub. The term encompasses discos, karaoke bars, cafés, and video arcades and can also refer to establishments offering illegal sex services. The term originated in Taiwan and has spread through southern China. It’s used to a lesser degree by young people in northern China as well.

迪斯科 dīsīkē (dee suh kuh)

Disco. A transliteration of the English.

轰趴 hōngpā (hohng pah)

A transliteration based on the English phrase “house party” but with the additional connotation of having so much fun that you collapse: 轰 hōng (hohng) means “an explosion” and 趴 pā (pah) means “lie on your stomach,” so the words together suggest something along the lines of being struck dead. Used in Taiwan.

蹦迪 bèngdī (bung dee)

Disco dance.

卡拉 OK kǎ lā OK (kah lah OK) or KTV

Both terms mean “karaoke.” The first is a transliteration of the English word, but most Chinese simply say KTV, pronouncing the letters as you would in English.

麦霸 màibà (my bah)

Microphone monopolist. 麦 Mài (my) refers to a mike and 霸 bà (bah) means “tyrant.” A term popular among young people to describe someone who hogs the mike at karaoke.

刷夜 shuā yè (shwah yeh)

To stay out all night, hang out with shady people, run with a bad crowd. Literally “swap night.”

Alcohol

喝酒 hē jǐu (huh joe)

To drink alcohol.

喝多 hēduō (huh dwuh)

Drunk, hung over. Literally “drink much.”

喝醉 hēzuì (huh dzway)

Wasted. Literally “drink tipsy.”

喝大了 hē dà le (huh dah luh)

A northern Chinese way to say “very drunk” or “wasted.” Literally “drank big.”

干 gān (gahn) or 干了 gān le (gahn luh)

Drain one’s glass, shoot it, suck down a drink really fast. Literally “dry [the glass].”

酒滥用 jǐu lànyòng (joe lahn yohng)

Alcohol abuse. Literally “alcohol excessive use.”

酒鬼 jǐuguǐ (joe gway)

Alcoholic. Literally “alcohol ghost.”

白酒 báijǐu (buy joe)

Chinese liquor. Literally “white alcohol.” Báijǐu is notoriously strong (about the same proof as vodka) and even more notoriously foul tasting. It is drunk only in shots, accompanied by an elaborate set of rituals and social mores that, in a nutshell, enable Chinese men to bully each other into puking oblivion beneath a veneer of politeness.

醉酒驾驶 zuì jǐu jià shǐ (dzway joe jah shih)

Drink and drive.

Mild vices

撒谎 sāhuăng (sah hwahng)

Tell a lie. Literally “release yellow.”

荤的 hūn de (hwen duh)

Dirty, obscene, pornographic. Literally “meat or fish,” referring to Buddhism, which considers such foods unclean or dirty. One term that uses this is 荤段子 hūn duànzǐ (hwen swun dz), meaning “dirty joke.”

吃枪药 chī qiāng yào (chih chyahng yow)

To speak rudely or insolently. Literally “to swallow gunpowder.” As in: “Why are you being such an asshole—did you swallow gunpowder?”

喷粪 pēn fèn (pen fen)

To swear, curse, say dirty words. Literally “spurt manure” or “puff out dung.”

毛腔 máoqiāng (maow chyahng)

Swear, curse, lose one’s temper. Literally “hairy chests.”

嘴臭 zuǐ chòu (dzway choe)

Literally “stinky mouth.” Refers to someone who is vulgar or rude or swears a lot.

裸奔 luǒ bēn (lwuh ben)

Streaking.

玩心跳 wán xīntiào (wahn sheen tyow)

Thrill seeking. Literally “play with your heartbeat.” That is, to engage in activities that will quicken your heartbeat.

飙车 biāo chē (byow chuh)

Drag racing. Literally “whirlwind car.”

钢管舞 gāng guǎn wǔ (gahng gwahn oo)

Pole dancing. This activity has become popular among some urban Chinese women as a form of exercise, with at least a few of them unaware that westerners associate it with stripping.

脱衣女郎 tuōyī nǚláng (twuh ee duh nee lahng)

Stripper. Literally “taking-off-clothes girl.”

路怒 lù nù (loo noo)

Road rage. Traffic in Beijing, and China’s other major cities, is notoriously bad.

欺骗 qīpiàn (chee pyinn)

Cheat (any kind of cheating). A cheater is a 骗子 piànzi (pyinn dz).

小混混 xiǎo húnhún (shyaow hwen hwen) or 混子 hunzǐ (hwen dz)

Small-time crook.

假活儿 jiǎ huór (jah hwurr)

Beijing slang for a swindler or con man. Literally “fake work.”

小报告 xiǎobào gào (shaow baow gaow—all three syllables rhyme with “cow”)

Snitching. Literally “file little secret reports.”

踩 cǎi (tsigh)

To slander, libel, insult. Literally “step on.”

暴打 bào dǎ (baow dah)

Beat up.

满地找牙 mǎn dì zhǎo yá (mahn dee jaow yah)

Get beaten up. Literally “find [one’s] teeth on the ground.” Used in northern China.

掐 qiā (chyah) or 掐架 qiājià (chyah jah)

Fight.

干 gān (gahn) or 干架 gānjià (gahn jah)

Fight. Also slang for “kill.”

废 fèi (fay)

To injure or maim. Can also mean “to break” or “amputate.”

给他个颜色看看 gěi tā ge yánsè kànkan (gay tah guh yen suh kahn kahn)

Beat him up. Literally “give him a color to see” (that color being red).

找不着北 zhǎobùzháoběi (jow boo jow bay)

Knock out, beat up. Can also mean “to get confused.” Literally “unable to find where north is.”

五指山红 wǔ zhǐ shān hóng (ooh jih shahn hohng)

Literally “five fingers turning red.” That is, a slap so hard it leaves five red finger marks on your face.

全武行 quán wǔ xíng (chren oo sheeng)

Fighting in public. The term originally referred to acrobatic fighting in Chinese opera performances. Now it also refers to fighting in the streets or other public places.

铁头功 tiě tóu gōng (tyih toe gohng)

Head butt.

打一拳 dǎ yī quán (dah ee chren)

Punch. Literally “hit (with) a fist.” Or you can specify the person being punched by saying 给他一拳 gěi tā yī quán (gay tah ee chren), literally “give him a fist,” meaning “punch him.”

顺出去 shùn chūqù (shwen choo chee)

Means “to carry something out vertically,” for example, turning a dresser on its side and moving it out of the bedroom, but can also mean carrying a person out after beating them up, as when someone is being kicked out of a bar. Used in northern China only.

脚底摸油 jiǎo dǐ mō yóu (jyow dee mwuh yo)

Cut and run, leave the scene of the crime, remove oneself from an awkward situation. Literally “apply oil to the soles of your feet”; that is, to speed your retreat.

Pornography

黄 huáng (hwahng) or 黄色 huángsè (hwahng suh)

Obscene, dirty, pornographic. Literally “yellow.” In Chinese class you’re most likely to learn 色情 sèqíng (suh cheeng) for “pornography”; it, however, is considered outdated. Nowadays anything pornographic or dirty is referred to as “yellow,” an association that may have originated in the nineteenth century, when French novels, recognizable by their yellow covers, became notorious throughout the world for their “immoral” sexual content. Thus a pornographic movie is a 黄色电影 huángsè diànyĭng (hwahng suh dyinn ing), literally “yellow movie”; a 黄带 huángdài (hwahng die), “yellow tape”; or 黄片 huángpiān (hwahng pyinn), literally “yellow piece.” A porno mag is a 黄色书刊 huángsè shūkān (hwahng suh shoo kahn), literally “yellow book,” and a dirty joke or story is a 黄段子 huáng duànzǐ (hwahng dwun dz), or “yellow episode.”

毛片 máopiān (mao pyinn)

Porn video. Literally “hair tape” because you can see pubic hair.

A 片 A piàn (A pyinn)

Hard-core porn movie. Literally “A video,” for “adult video” (though, interestingly, some Chinese mistakenly believe the A stands for American).

三级片 sānjí piàn (sahn gee pyinn)

Soft-core porn movie. Literally “level-three video,” referring to the most restrictive level in Hong Kong’s movie-rating system.

Drugs

吸毒 xīdú (she do)

To take drugs. Literally “suck poison.”

毒贩子 dúfànzǐ (do fahn dz) or just 毒贩 dúfàn (do fahn)

Drug dealer. “To deal drugs” is 贩毒 fàndú (fahn do).

药物滥用 yàowù lànyòng (yaow oo lahn yohng) or 毒品滥用 dúpǐn lànyòng (do peen lahn yohng)

Substance abuse. Literally “drug excessive use.” The first term can mean any type of drugs, including medicine, and the second term specifically means illegal drugs, but both are frequently used. You can insert the name of a drug in front of 滥用 lànyòng to indicate abuse of that specific drug.

瘾君子 yǐnjūnzǐ (een jwen dz)

Drug addict. Literally “addicted gentleman” or “addicted nobleperson,” because once upon a time only wealthy people could afford drugs, and opium was considered a status symbol.

抽 chōu (choe)

Smoke (as in smoking marijuana, opium, heroin, etc.). 吸 Xī (she), literally “inhale,” can be used too, though it is less common than chōu.

用 yòng (yohng)

Use. Can be inserted in front of any drug name to indicate use of that drug. For heroin or opium, however, it’s more common to say yòng than xī or chōu (above), even though they can be smoked.

逗 dòu (doe)

Use. Has a variety of unrelated literal meanings, including “stop” and “tease,” but is also used as slang for using drugs.

飞 fēi (fay)

High. Literally “to fly.” Usually describes being high on marijuana but can also be used for ecstasy, heroin, and other euphoric drugs. 飞起 Fēi qǐ (fay chee), literally “flying upwards,” describes the feeling of getting high, and 太起了 tài qǐ le (tie chee luh), literally “rising too much,” describes being too high.

大 dà (dah) or 大了 dà le (dah luh)

An all-purpose Beijing word for “drunk,” “wasted,” “high,” “fucked up,” etc. Literally “big.” Can indicate being under the influence of any drug. You can simply say, “我大了” “Wǒ dà le” (wuh dah luh), literally “I’m big,” to mean “I’m high” or “I’m on something” or “I’m fucked up.” Or you can be more specific by inserting various drug-related verbs (smoke, use, eat) in front; for example 我抽大了 wǒ chōu dà le (wuh choe dah luh) literally means “I smoked big” and indicates that you are high on marijuana or something else that can be smoked.

有感觉 yǒu gǎnjué (yo gahn dreh)

Literally “have a feeling” or, rather, “I feel something” or “I’m feeling it,” indicating that you’re feeling the effects of a drug, whether you’re feeling high or a trip is setting in or things are starting to get funny or whatever.

沉了 chén le (chen luh) or 颓了 tuí le (tway luh)

Literally “drop” and “decline,” respectively. Both can describe dropping, crashing, or a comedown.

大麻 dàmá (dah ma)

Marijuana, hashish.

呼 hū (who)

Smoke (as in weed or hash). Literally “exhale.” More common in northern China. Southerners tend to say chōu (page 150).

咳 hāi (high)

High (on marijuana). Literally, this is the onomatopoeic word for “sigh,” but it is used to mean “high” since it sounds just like the English word.

可乐 kělè (kuh luh)

Coke. Slang for cocaine (and also the Chinese brand name for Coca-Cola). The formal words for cocaine are 古柯碱 gǔkējiǎn (goo kuh jinn), the scientific name more often used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and 可卡因 kěkǎyīn (kuh ka een), a transliteration of the English.

吸 xī (she)

Snort. Literally “suck in.”

道 dào (dow)

Line (in connection with coke use). Literally “road” or “path.” “A line of coke” is 一道可乐 yī dào kělè (ee daow kuh luh).

摇头丸 yáotóuwán (yow toe wahn)

Ecstasy (official name). Literally “shake-head pill.” Unlike the English term, no user would ever use this full name to refer to the drug. Most people either say “E” or one of the two slang terms below.

药 yào (yow)

Pill (slang for an ecstasy pill). Literally “medicine” or “drug.” Doing or swallowing a pill is 吃药 chī yào (chih yow), literally “eat medicine.” There is no direct Chinese equivalent to “rolling” to describe being on the drug, but you can instead use some of the words mentioned earlier, such as fēi or dà le.

丸仔 wánzǎi (wahn dzigh)

Southern Chinese slang for ecstasy. Northerners usually just say “E,” though 药 yào (yow) is common too.

开他敏 kāitāmǐn (kigh tah meen)

Ketamine. A transliteration of the English. As in many other countries, Special K is fast usurping ecstasy as a popular club drug in China. This is exacerbated by the fact that several factories within its borders produce ketamine for legitimate veterinary use, and thus the drug is cheaper in China.

K 粉 K fěn (K fen) or, more commonly, just K

Slang for ketamine. The first term literally means “K powder.”

麻黄碱 máhuángjiǎn (mah hwahng jinn)

Ephedrine. Widely available and abused in China because ephedra, the plant from which ephedrine is derived, is native to southern China (and used in traditional Chinese medicine), and the production and export of the drug is a massive industry.

冰 bīng (bing)

Ice (slang for crystal methamphetamine). Ice use is growing by leaps and bounds in China, for the reasons discussed in the previous entry (ephedrine is a precursor chemical for methamphetamine).

溜冰 liūbīng (lyew bing)

Doing ice. Literally “ice skating.”

致幻剂 zhìhuànjì (jih hwun gee)

Hallucinogen. 致幻 Zhìhuàn means “hallucination” or “hallucinate.”

有幻觉 yǒuhuànjué (yo hwun jreh)

Hallucinate. Literally “have a hallucination.”

蘑菇 mógū (mwuh goo)

Mushrooms. There isn’t any direct equivalent to “trip” or “tripping” in Chinese, but you can use some of the words mentioned at the beginning of the drug section, like fēi or dà le.

Slang for LSD. Pronounced like the English letter. The verb for doing LSD is 贴 tiē (tyih), literally “to stick” or “affix.”

邮票 yóupiào (yo pyow)

Slang for LSD. Literally “postage stamp.”

镇静剂 zhènjìngjì (jen jing gee)

Tranquilizer or depressants. Literally “calm drug.”

笑气 xiàoqì (shyow chee)

Laughing gas.

止疼药 zhǐténgyào (jhh tung yow) or 止疼片 zhǐténgpiàn (jhh tung pyinn)

Painkillers.

麻醉药 mázuìyào (mah dzway yow)

Narcotics.

吗啡 mǎfēi (ma fay)

Morphine. A transliteration of the English.

美沙酮 měishātóng (may shah tohng) or 美沙粉 měishāfěn (may shah fen)

Methadone. A transliteration of the English.

可待因 kědàiyīn (kuh die een).

Codeine. A transliteration of the English.

神仙水 shénxiānshuǐ (shen shin shway)

Slang for codeine. Literally “celestial water.”

海洛因 hǎiluòyīn (high lwuh een)

Heroin. A transliteration of the English. Heroin is by far the most abused drug in China. The country borders the world’s top opium-producing countries (the Golden Triangle of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand; as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan), making it an important transit route for trafficking of the drug. Moreover, poppy fields are also cultivated in some of China’s most rural provinces. Ironically, heroin first took hold in China during the 1920s because it was considered a cure for the widespread problem of opium addiction.

粉儿 fěnr (fenr)

Northern Chinese slang for (powder) heroin. Literally “powder.” The verb for doing it is 吸 xī (she), “suck in.”

欣快 xīnkuài (sheen kwhy)

Euphoria. Literally “happy fast.”

俚]追龙 zhuī long (jway lohng)

Literally “chasing the dragon.” Refers to smoking heroin. Used in Hong Kong only.

安眠药ānmiányào (ahn myinn yow)

Opiates. Literally “sleepy medicine.”

鸦片 yāpiàn (yah pyinn)

Opium. A transliteration of the English. Opium, which was more or less forced on the Chinese by Britain during the late 1800s to deal with a trade imbalance caused by sky-high demand for Chinese porcelain and tea, has been an extraordinarily widespread problem for the country. The 1949 Communist revolution wiped out the drug almost completely, but inevitably, given that the drug is largely produced in countries that border China, it has, since the late 1980s, begun to spread once again.

安定 āndìng (ahn ding)

Diazepam (most commonly marketed as Valium). Literally “calm” or “stable.”

苯环利定 běnhuánlìdìng (ben hwun lee ding)

Phencyclidine (PCP).

天使粉 tiānshǐfěn (tyinn shih fen)

Angel dust. Slang for PCP (phencyclidine).

强奸药丸 qiángjiān yàowán (chyahng jin yow wahn)

Roofies. Literally “rape pill.”

FM2

Roofies. Pronounced like the English.

十字架 shízìjià (shih dz jah)

Roofies. Literally “cross” because of the cross shape that is sometimes scored into Rohypnol pills. It’s more common to simply say FM2 in English, however.

类固醇 lèigùchún (lay goo chwen)

Steroids.

戒毒 jièdú (jyih do)

Kick the habit, rehabilitate, quit taking drugs. Literally “get rid of drugs.”

Prostitution

Chinese police use seven classifications for prostitution. From highest to lowest, they are:

1. 包二奶 bāoèrnăi (bow er nigh—bāo rhymes with “cow”)

Long ago, when Chinese men had multiple wives, 奶 èrnăi (er nigh) referred to the second wife. Today it refers to mistresses of wealthy men and government officials, an extremely common fact of life in China: literally “packaged second-wife.” A related term is:

二奶专家 èrnăi zhuānjiā (er nigh jwahn jah) Rich Chinese businessmen and government officials who collect “second wives.” Literally “mistress expert.”

2. 包婆 bāopó (baow pwuh—bāo rhymes with “cow”)

Literally “packaged wife.” Women who receive payment for accompanying wealthy men or government officials on business trips or for some other fixed period of time.

3. 三厅 sāntīng (sahn ting)

Literally “three halls.” Refers to prostitution in specific venues, such as bars, clubs, karaoke parlors, teahouses, bathhouses, etc. They generally make money from tips and from a cut of the venue’s “service charges.” Some related terms are:

三陪小姐 sānpéi xiǎojiě (sahn pay shaow jyih)

Literally “young ladies of the three accompaniments.” A common euphemism for sāntīng sex workers. The three accompaniments are supposedly drinking, dancing, and chatting or singing with their clients (often while being groped). Of course, the unspoken fourth accompaniment costs extra.

小姐 xiǎojiě (shaow jyih)

Whore, prostitute. Literally “little miss.” Xiǎojiě is also an everyday form of address for waitresses, shop-girls, and any service staff in Taiwan and southern China, but due to the association with prostitution, northern Chinese instead address such personnel by the impersonal term 服务员 fúwùyuán (foo oo yren), literally “service person.”

KTV 小姐 KTV xiăojiě (“KTV” shaow jyih)

Prostitute in a karaoke parlor. Literally “karaoke miss.”

吧女 bānǚ (bah nee)

Bar girl.

洗浴中心 xǐyù zhōngxīn (she yee johng sheen) Bathhouse.

4. 叮咚小姐 dīngdōng xiăojie (deeng dohng shaow jyih) Literally “ding-dong girls” or “doorbell ladies.”

Prostitutes who solicit clients by phone in hotel rooms. If you ever stay in a Chinese hotel and get a mysterious call in the middle of the night, chances are it’s a ding-dong girl.

5. 发廊妹 fàláng mèi (fah lahng may)

Prostitutes who work under the guise of a hair salon, beauty parlor, bathhouse, or massage parlor. Literally “hair salon sister.” The most common services offered are hand jobs and oral sex. If you’re ever looking for an actual haircut in China, look for a salon that has female customers and where the hairdressers actually appear to know how to use a pair of scissors—and even then you might very well still wind up getting a whispered proposition. A related term is:

按摩女 ànmó nǚ (ahn mwuh nee)

Literally “massage girl.” Includes both actual masseuses who do a little extra for an additional fee and full-on prostitutes who work under the guise of being masseuses but have no idea how to give a massage.

6. 街女 jiēnǚ (jyih nee)

Literally “street girls.” Prostitutes who solicit clients on the street.

7. 下工棚 xiàgōngpéng (shah gohng pung)

Literally “lower work shack.” Prostitutes whose clients are migrant workers—usually men from the countryside who have found temporary work doing manual labor in the big city.

Beyond these seven official tiers, here are other words related to prostitution:

妓女 jìnǚ (gee knee)

The most neutral, formal word for prostitute.

娼妓 chāngjì (chahng gee)

Another formal term for prostitute.

鸡 jī (gee) and 野鸡 yějī (yeh gee)

Whore, prostitute, hooker. Literally “chicken” or “wild chicken/pheasant.” Probably came about in Shanghai during the late 1800s and early 1900s because the city saw a sudden influx of streetwalkers, which was a relatively new sight (as opposed to women who hosted men in teahouses and brothels), and the women were said to look like chickens walking around on the street. Also a play on words because the 鸡 jī, meaning “chicken,” sounds nearly the same as 妓 jì in the formal term for “prostitute” (above). A yějī can also be an illegal business.

站街的 zhàn jiē de (jahn jyih duh)

Streetwalker. Literally “one who stands on the street.”

鸡院 jīyuàn (gee yren)

Slang term for a brothel. Literally “chicken yard.”

鸭 yā (yah) or 鸭子 yāzi (yah dz)

Male prostitute. Literally “duck.”

卖豆腐 mài dòufu (my doe foo)

Literally “sell tofu” and a euphemism for prostitution.

女士酒吧 nǚshì jǐubā (nee shih joe bah)

Lady bar.

皮条 pítiáo (pee tyow)

Pimp.

拉皮条 lāpítiáo (lah pee tyow)

Pimp. Literally “pull/drag prostitutes.”

婊子 biăozi (byow dz)

Whore, prostitute, hooker. Also an insult similar to “bitch.”

应召女郎 yìng zhào nǚláng (yeeng dzow nee lahng)

Prostitute. Literally “call girl.”

嫖 piáo (pyow) or 嫖娼 piáochāng (pyow chahng)

Visit prostitutes, whore around, pay for sex.

陪客 péikè (pay kuh)

To entertain clients—either in a legitimate business sense or in the euphemistic sense.

嫖客 piáokè (pyow kuh)

Whoremonger, john, brothel customer. Literally “whoring guest.”

红灯区 hóngdēngqū (hohng dung chee)

“Red-light district.” Used only in southern China and Taiwan.

出台 chūtái (choo tie)

To take home (a prostitute). A verb used when a john takes a prostitute away from the establishment and to a home or hotel instead. Literally “leave the counter.”

打包 dǎbāo (da baow)

Literally the term used for a doggie bag or wrapping up leftover food to take home from a restaurant, but it can also be jokingly used to indicate that you want to take a prostitute off premises.

性病 xìngbìng (sheeng bing)

STD (sexually transmitted disease). Literally “sex disease.”

花柳 huāliǔ (hwah lew—lew rhymes with “pew”) / 花柳病 huāliŭbìng (hwah lyew bing)

STD. Literally “flower willow” or “flower willow disease.” Flowers and willows have been used as metaphors for women since ancient times, and STDs are generally considered a disease that men get from prostitutes.

脏病 zāngbìng (jahng bing)

STD. Literally “dirty disease.”

Sexual perversion

色鬼 sèguĭ (suh gway)

Sex maniac. Literally “sex ghost.”

色情狂 sèqíngkuáng (suh cheeng kwahng)

Sex maniac. Literally “sex crazy person.”

流氓 liúmáng (lyew mahng)

A derogatory term for a man that may mean he is just generally “bad” or “rowdy” or a “hooligan” but may also indicate sexual perversion involving women. Women frequently use this word in reference to a man who is aggressively hitting on them.

狼 láng (lahng)

Dirty guy. Literally “wolf.”

色狼 sèláng (suh lahng)

Literally “colored wolf.” A lecherous man. Like liúmáng (above), women often use this to describe men who are aggressively hitting on them. Originally it referred exclusively to older men who prey on younger women, but now it refers to men of any age.

色迷迷的 sèmīmīdè (suh me me duh)

Lecherous. Literally “colored fantasy.” A lecherous man, synonymous with liúmáng or sèláng (above), is a 色迷迷的男人 sèmīmīdè nánrén (suh me me duh nahn ren), and you would say that he has 色迷迷的眼神 sèmīmīdè yǎnshén (suh me me duh yen shen), or “sex in his eyes,” literally “colored eyes.”

下流 xiàliú (shah lew)

Perverted. Literally “below flowing.”

调戏 tiáoxì (tyow she)

To take advantage of or harass a woman. Most often used to refer to a man verbally assaulting a woman with obscene words.

花老头 huā lǎotóu (hwa laow toe)

Dirty old man.

咸猪手 xiánzhūshǒu (shin joo show)

Groping. Used in Taiwan and Guangdong Province. Literally “salty pig hands.” In Taiwan and Guangdong, a man who pays unwanted sexual attention to a woman (groping, etc.) is called a 猪哥 zhūgē (joo guh), literally “pig brother.”

暴露狂 bàolù kuáng (baow loo kwahng)

Flash, flashing. Literally “showing crazy person.”

恶趣味 è qùwèi (uh chee way)

Literally “repulsive interests.” Originating in Japan, the term refers to five types of sexual perversion: (1) interest in young girls, (2) homosexuality, (3) bondage and sadomasochism, (4) Freudian issues—for example an Oedipus complex—and (5) incest.

乱伦 luànlún (lwun lwen)

Incest. Literally “messy logical sequence.”

希腊剧 xīlàjù (she la jee)

Incest. Literally “Greek play.”

性骚扰 xìngsāorǎo (sheeng saow raow)

Sexual assault, molestation. Literally “sex interrupts.”

怪叔叔 guài shūshu (gwhy shoo shoo)

Pedophile. Literally “weird uncle.” Used in Taiwan.

强奸 qiángjiān (chyahng gin)

Rape. Literally “forced sex.”

Crime

罪犯 zuìfàn (dzway fahn)

Criminal.

拎包党 līn bāo dǎng (leen baow dahng)

Purse snatcher.

三只手 sān zhī shǒu (sahn jih show)

Pickpocket. Literally “three hands.”

小偷 xiǎotōu (shyaow toe)

Thief. Literally “little steal.”

顺 shùn (shwen) or 顺走 shùn zǒu (shwen dzoe)

Beijing slang for “steal.” Literally “smooth” and “smoothly walk away,” respectively.

纵火 zònghuǒ (dzohng hwuh)

Arson. Literally “start fire.”

走私 zǒusī (dzoe sih)

Smuggling. Literally “go private.”

黄牛 huángníu (hwahng nyoo)

Literally “yellow ox.” A ticket scalper or someone who buys and sells foreign currency on the black market—the sight of a mob of people trying to get tickets resembles a herd of cows. Can also mean a person who doesn’t repay debts. Originated in Shanghai but now used everywhere.

洗钱 xǐqián (she chin)

Money laundering.

敲诈 qiāozhà (chyow jah)

Blackmail. Literally “knock cheat.”

行贿 xínghuì (sheeng hway)

Bribery.

封口费 fēng kǒu fèi (fung koe fay)

Hush money.

非法集资 fēifǎ jízī (fay fah gee dz)

Ponzi scheme.

盗车贼 dào chē zéi (daow chuh dzay)

Motor vehicle theft. Literally “car stealer.”

贩毒 fàndú (fahn do)

Trafficking/smuggling drugs. Literally “selling drugs.”

毒枭 dúxiāo (doo shaow)

Drug lord.

黑 hēi (hay)

In Chinese anything illegal is called “black,” or hēi. Thus the black market is the 黑市 hēishì (hay shih) (the literal meaning is the same as the English); an illegal cab is a 黑车 hēichē (hay chuh), literally “black car”; cooking the books results in a 黑单 hēidān (hay dahn), literally “black accounting”; a bad call in sports or an unfair decision by a judge, who may or may not have been bribed, is a 黑哨 hēishào (hay shaow), literally “black whistle”; and any sort of misdeed is a 黑点 hēidiǎn (hay dyinn), literally “black spot.”

黑道 hēidào (hay dow)

Criminal gang. Literally “black path.”

黑社会 hēishèhuì (hay shuh hway)

Mafia. Literally “black society.”

三合会 sān hé huì (sahn hay hway)

Triad, the largest organized crime network in China. The Triads originally started out in the 1760s as a resistance movement to overthrow the Manchu emperor and restore Han Chinese rule. Their name, sān hé huì, literally means “three harmonies society,” referring to the unity between heaven, earth, and man. After the Qing dynasty finally collapsed in 1911, these former outlaws and rebels, no longer enjoying the benefit of public support and funding, turned to crime and extortion to support themselves. Today there are thought to be as many as sixty separate Triad groups in Hong Kong alone, with membership of each one ranging anywhere from fifty to thirty thousand people, and more groups throughout Taiwan, Macao, mainland China, and around the world in cities with large overseas-Chinese communities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Calgary, Vancouver, São Paulo, Melbourne, and Sydney.

涉黑 shèhēi (shuh hay)

Gang-related crimes.

人口贩卖 rénkǒu fànmài (ren koe fahn my)

Human trafficking. Literally “person selling.”

蛇头 shétóu (shuh toe)

Snakehead. Someone (usually a gang member from Fujian Province) who smuggles illegal immigrants out of China and into other countries for a fee.

绑架 bǎngjià (bahng jah)

Kidnapping, abduction.

人口拐卖 rénkǒu guǎimài (ren koe gwhy my)

Human slavery. Literally “person abducting.”

恶性伤人 èxìng shāngrén (uh sheeng shahng ren)

Aggravated assault.

杀人 shārén (shah ren)

Homicide. Literally “kill person.”

谋杀 móushā (moe shah)

Murder. Literally “plan kill.”

暗杀 ànshā (ahn shah)

Assassination. Literally “secret kill.”

连环杀手 liánhuánshāshǒu (lyinn hwun shah show)

Serial killer. Literally “connected-ring kill hand.”

食人 shírén (shih ren)

Cannibalism. Literally “eat people.”