Emotions & Reactions2000svery informal

牛/牛逼

niú / niú bī

Awesome / badass — strong praise for something impressive or someone skilled.

Origin & Background

One of the oldest Chinese internet slang terms, 牛 (cow/bull) has long been associated with being impressive or powerful.

Examples

You got into Tsinghua? 牛!

这个设计太牛了！(This design is so awesome!)

Related Slang

绝绝子

jué jué zǐ

Absolutely amazing / Absolutely terrible — an emphatic expression that can be positive or negative depending on context.

社死

shè sǐ

Social death — an extremely embarrassing moment that makes you want to disappear.

EMO/emo

emo

Feeling down, sad, or melancholic — used when experiencing a wave of negative emotions.

尬

gà

Awkward / cringe — describes an uncomfortable, secondhand-embarrassment situation.