Anime & Manga phrases and words in Chinese

China has one of the world's largest and most passionate anime and manga communities, centred on platforms like Bilibili, and a broader ACG (Anime, Comic, Game) culture that has produced its own distinctive vocabulary. Many of these terms began on fan forums and danmu (bullet-comment) streams before spreading into mainstream Chinese social media and everyday speech.

12 phrases · meanings & example sentences

“二次元”

Literally 'the second dimension', referring to the flat world of anime, manga, and games as opposed to reality (三次元, sān cì yuán). In China it is both a descriptor for the medium and a full lifestyle identity — 'I'm a 二次元 person' means you live inside that culture, not just that you watch anime.

「我就是个二次元，不理解你们三次元的爱情那么复杂」
「B站就是二次元的根据地，离开了它我真不知道去哪刷番」
「她买的衣服全是二次元风格的，连工牌上挂的也是手办挂件」

“推”

To push or promote your favourite — to actively stan, recommend, and evangelize for a character, idol, or creator to anyone who will listen. Borrowed into Chinese fan culture from Japanese '推し' (oshi). It can function as a verb ('我推这个角色') or noun ('我的推' = my favourite).

「我最近一直在推这个画师，你们快去关注，作品真的太好看了」
「她把这部动漫推给了办公室所有人，结果大家都入坑了」
「我推了三年，终于等到他出了第一张专辑，值了」

“磕”

To ship two characters or real people — to consume, create, and obsess over the romantic pairing between them. 'Ke CP' (磕CP) is the verb form for shipping. The word captures the addictive quality of shipping: you just can't stop knocking your head against this pairing until you get more content.

「这两个角色的眼神交流好磕啊，编剧是懂我们的」
「自从磕了这对CP，脑子里每天都在脑补他们的故事」
「她不磕虚拟的，专门磕真人CP，说这样更有真实感」

“纸片人”

Literally 'paper person' — a 2D fictional character that someone is deeply, romantically devoted to, the Chinese equivalent of 'waifu'. The term acknowledges the flatness of the medium (paper, screen) while fully embracing the emotional reality of the attachment. Used affectionately, with a knowing sense of humour about loving someone who cannot love you back.

「别笑我，我的纸片人比三次元的那些人靠谱多了」
「她为了纸片人买了两箱周边，说这叫'支持正版'」
「纸片人虽然不会回应你，但也不会让你失望，挺好的」

“爆肝”

Literally 'to explode your liver' — to grind something so hard and for so many sleepless hours that you are destroying your health in the process. Originally from gaming communities describing marathon sessions, now used broadly for any extreme all-nighter whether for exams, work, or binge-watching a new season.

「期末爆肝了一周，把一学期的课全补完了，感觉肝真的在疼」
「新番出了，今晚爆肝追完，明天再死」
「那个画师为了赶稿爆肝了三天，发了条微博说'肝要碎了'」

“圣地巡礼”

Pilgrimage to real-world locations that appear in anime or manga — a practice borrowed directly from Japanese fan culture (聖地巡礼). Chinese fans travel to Japan (and increasingly to domestic locations in Chinese animation) to stand in the exact spot where their favourite scenes were set and recreate the shots.

「为了《你的名字》圣地巡礼，特地去了飞騨高山，把每个场景都拍了一遍」
「国产动漫圣地巡礼也开始流行了，《哪吒》的粉丝去成都打卡原型地」
「她计划了半年的日本圣地巡礼行程，每个点都精确到了具体路口」

“填坑”

Literally 'to fill in a pit' — when a creator finally delivers long-promised content, completing a story they left unfinished (the 'pit'). When a creator abandons a work it is called '弃坑' (qì kēng, abandoning the pit). '填坑' is the joyful relief of seeing that pit finally filled, sometimes years later.

「那个作者断更了两年，昨天突然更新说要填坑了，粉丝全都哭了」
「这漫画坑了好几年，没想到真的填了，感谢作者没跑路」
「买了人家的实体书就是为了支持填坑，感觉这才叫真粉丝」

“下头”

The moment when your admiration or affection for someone drops sharply — when something they do makes you suddenly lose all the warm feelings you had. The opposite of 'raising your opinion of someone'. Used widely on social media when a favourite idol, creator, or character does something disappointing.

「他一开口说那句话我当场下头，直接取关了」
「本来挺喜欢这个角色的，结果这集一出直接下头，编剧在干什么」
「追星最怕下头，但有时候偶像会让你下头到你自己都没想到」

“三坑”

The 'three pits' — Lolita fashion, BJD (ball-jointed doll) collecting, and hanfu (traditional Chinese dress) — the three hobbies that are famous for consuming all your money once you fall in. The metaphor of a 'pit' (坑) that swallows you financially is central: each is beautiful, community-driven, and ruinously expensive.

「她三坑全踩了，每个月光在服装上就花了大几千」
「朋友说入三坑之前要想清楚，因为根本爬不出来」
「三坑活动越来越多了，汉服游园会、Lolita茶会，每周都有」

“番外”

Extra or side content set outside the main story — bonus chapters, omake, special episodes. From Japanese 番外 (bangai). In Chinese fan culture it refers both to official extras and fan-written side stories. It is also used more broadly for anything outside the main event or schedule — 'that was a nice 番外 for the evening'.

「这本书的番外写得比正文还好看，作者真的藏着掖着」
「漫画完结了，但粉丝们自己写番外，故事还在继续」
「今天的聚会算是婚礼的番外，就几个老朋友，反而更轻松」

“整活”

To create wild, chaotic, creative content for the sake of entertainment — to 'do a bit'. Originated in gaming and streaming culture and spread through Bilibili and Weibo. It describes both the act of creating absurdist fan edits or memes and the entire culture of doing things purely for laughs and spectacle.

「这个UP主专门整活，每次都能想到新的奇怪内容，但就是好笑」
「动漫社团年会又开始整活了，搞了个全员角色扮演环节」
「与其认真讨论，不如整点活，活跃一下气氛」

“破防”

To have your emotional defenses broken through — to be moved to tears or genuine emotional distress by content you expected to be fine with. Originally from gaming (breaking through a defensive barrier), now widely used when an anime, song, or video hits so hard you can't maintain composure.

「这集动画直接破防了，上班路上在地铁上哭，太尴尬了」
「以为自己看了那么多番不会再哭，结果还是被破防了」
「那首BGM一响，之前所有的剧情都涌上来，直接破防」