Curses, Insults, and Swear Words in Mandarin Chinese

In this article, we share a list of insults, slurs, and swear words in Mandarin Chinese. The point here is not to encourage anyone to use them. It is simply a reference so you can recognize them if they appear in conversations, movies, or online.

If you want to compare how this kind of language works in other Asian languages, you can also take a look at our articles about Japanese swear words and Korean swear words.

Chinese does not rely on many insults in the same way some other languages do, but the expressions that do exist can be very strong. That is why it helps to look at Hanzi and pinyin together instead of trying to translate everything word for word.

English	Hanzi	Pinyin
Bastard, cuckold	王八	wáng bā
Bitch	骚屄	sāobī
Scoundrel	坏蛋	huài dàn
Drugged, clueless	糊涂蛋	hútú dàn
Troublemaker	瘟神	wēnshén
Stupid (female)	傻屄	shǎbī
Stupid	二百五	érbáiwǔ
Son of a bitch	王八蛋	wáng bā dàn
Son of a dog	狗崽子	gǒuzǎizi
Fuck your mother	肏你妈	cào nǐ mā
Idiot	白痴	Báichī
Idiot, fool, stupid	笨蛋	bèn dàn
Useless	废人	fei rén
Crazy	神经病	shénjīngbìng
Shit, damn	他妈的	tā mā de
Nonsense	屁话	pìhuà
Penis	阴茎	yīnjīng
Penis, imbecile	鸡巴	jī bā
Cow sucking	吸牛	shee niou
Vagina	阴道	yīndào
Cow's vagina	牛屄	niú bī

These expressions are direct and, in many cases, extremely rude. That is exactly why they are better understood as context than repeated in real life. If you are learning Mandarin, this page is mainly useful as a vocabulary reference and a warning sign.

If you ever run into these words in subtitles, comments, or casual conversations, this list should help you understand what is being said without guessing. Language is always easier to handle when you know where the line is.