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
.
L
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.