绿茶
lǜ chá
“green tea”
Green tea — the drink. Unfermented, light, healthy. Nothing suspicious here.
A woman who projects an image of sweet innocence while being calculating and manipulative underneath. Shortened from the much cruder full term. Think: the colleague who acts helpless around your boyfriend but somehow always gets what she wants.
The full term appeared around 2013 and was too vulgar for polite conversation, so people shortened it to just 'green tea.' The metaphor works because green tea looks pure and refreshing on the surface. Now deeply embedded in Chinese internet culture — entire drama plotlines revolve around identifying the 'green tea' character.
Watching a reality show where a contestant cries on cue
这眼泪说来就来，绿茶含量太高了。
"Tears on demand — the green tea levels are off the charts."
Xiaohongshu comment analyzing someone's social media post
发自拍配文'素颜好丑'，经典绿茶操作。
"Posts a selfie captioned 'I look so ugly without makeup' — textbook green tea move."
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Browse stories at your level →绿茶 (lǜ chá) literally translates to “green tea” — Green tea — the drink. Unfermented, light, healthy. Nothing suspicious here.
In online slang, A woman who projects an image of sweet innocence while being calculating and manipulative underneath. Shortened from the much cruder full term. Think: the colleague who acts helpless around your boyfriend but somehow always gets what she wants.