How to Use 囧 in Chinese Slang (and What Does It Mean?)
When I first came across the character 囧 (jiǒng), I couldn’t tell if it was a real one since it looked so different—like a crying face emoji.
Ironically, 囧 originally means “bright.” But today, it’s a way to express feeling down.
Sad, depressed, helpless, disappointed or the general “blah” or “ugh” feeling we have. Whether it’s because we spilled some coffee on our shirt and it’s only 10AM or we’ve just locked our keys in the car.
What Does 囧 Mean?
囧 (jiǒng) became a popular slang word from Taiwan’s BBS community and spread quickly to mainland China, and then Hong Kong. It was especially popular on the internet.
囧 is said to be one of the most popular symbols of the 21st century. It became part of the news and even the movie and advertising industry. Here’s one example where it’s part of Joseph Gorden-Levitt’s name.
One way people write 囧 with symbols is (kind of like how we use “:)” as a smiley face in English):
o(╯□╰)o
How to Use 囧
囧 means helplessness, disappointment, sad, depressed, hurt, “blah” or “ugh.”
This word can mean multiple things depending on the situation and what you want to say. On the internet, it usually expresses some kind of sadness or helplessness. However, it could also mean humor or describe one’s mood.
Let’s take a look at some examples found in the wild. And you can use FluentU to see even more examples in context. FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app. P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
爸妈囧很大。
(bà mā jiǒng hěn dà.)
Dad and Mom’s disappointment is really big.
大陆电视剧《囧人的幸福生活》。
(dà lù diàn shì jù “jiǒng rén de xìng fú shēng huó.”)
Mainland China’s drama series “depressed people’s happy lives.”
《泰囧》票房近13亿 价值取向获赞。
(“tài jiǒng” piào fáng jìn 13 yì jià zhí qǔ xiàng huò zàn.)
“Lost in Thailand” box office sales nearly hit a praised 13 billion in value.
Understand how to use 囧 now? This slang word is multifaceted, but that’s also what makes it useful and interesting.
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