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Pulls, pity and luck

Day 3 of 15~12 minThe language of gacha and in-game shops
Pinyin help
Tone colours
抽卡 · 十连 · 保底 · 运气

Many games made in China are gacha games, where you spend currency on random pulls for characters and gear. The players built a whole slang around it, and it is some of the most common gaming talk you will hear anywhere.

Pulling

The words for the gamble itself.

抽卡
chōukǎ
to pull, draw cards
The general word for gacha pulls, whatever a game calls them.
十连
shílián
a ten-pull
Ten draws at once. 来个十连, let's do a ten-pull.
保底
bǎodǐ
pity, a guaranteed drop
Literally keep the bottom: after enough pulls, the rare one is guaranteed.
氪金
kèjīn
to spend real money
氪 is the element krypton, used for its sound. A 氪金玩家 is a paying player.
Why it works

Gacha slang is compact because it is typed in chat at speed. Each word names one part of the loop: pull, pull ten, hit the guarantee, pay for more.

Lucky and unlucky

What people say about the result.

运气真好
yùnqi zhēn hǎo
that's lucky
运气 is luck. The neutral way to say it, anywhere, about anything.
运气太差了
yùnqi tài chà le
such bad luck
差 is poor. The everyday opposite.
欧皇
ōuhuáng
a very lucky player
A joke name, literally European emperor. Its opposite is a stereotype about Africans; this course teaches 运气太差了 instead.
歪了
wāi le
lost the 50/50
Literally it went crooked: you got a rare pull, just not the one you wanted.
Why it works

You will see 欧皇 everywhere, so it is worth recognising. 运气 is the word that works in every setting, in a game or a lottery or a job interview.

After the banner

Two friends on voice chat.

Friend
你抽了吗？
nǐ chōu le ma?
Did you pull?
You
抽了，十连一个都没出。
chōu le, shílián yí ge dōu méi chū.
Yes. A ten-pull and not one came out.
一个都没…, not a single one.
Friend
没事，快保底了。
méi shì, kuài bǎodǐ le.
Never mind, you're nearly at pity.
快…了, nearly, about to.
You
我不想再氪金了。
wǒ bù xiǎng zài kèjīn le.
I don't want to pay any more.
不想再…了, not any more.
Why it works

Gacha talk is a good lesson in 了: 抽了, did pull; 快…了, nearly; 不想再…了, no longer. Three jobs for one small word in four lines, which daily course day 19 explains.

A slang word made of an element

氪金 is the oddest word in this lesson. It comes from the Japanese 課金 (kakin), paying a charge. The first character, read in Chinese, is kè, and players swapped it for 氪, krypton, which has the same sound. The joke stuck because krypton sounds suitably expensive.

Carry over, from earlier days
任务
rènwu
quest
奖励
jiǎnglì
reward
背包
bèibāo
inventory

8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.

  1. 抽卡 means…

    • to sell
    • to pull, draw
    • to buy a card
    • to trade
    Show the answer

    to pull, draw Any gacha pull.

  2. 保底 is…

    • the bottom of the map
    • a free gift
    • the pity guarantee
    • a jackpot
    Show the answer

    the pity guarantee Keep the bottom: a guaranteed rare after enough pulls.

  3. 氪金 is…

    • gold ore
    • a weapon
    • spending real money in a game
    • grinding levels
    Show the answer

    spending real money in a game A 氪金玩家 pays.

  4. Type the pinyin for 十连.

    Show the answer

    shílián Both second tone.

  5. 运气真好 means…

    • that's bad luck
    • that's expensive
    • that's lucky
    • that's fast
    Show the answer

    that's lucky 运气 is luck.

  6. 快保底了 means…

    • pity is gone
    • there is no pity
    • pity happened
    • nearly at pity
    Show the answer

    nearly at pity 快…了 is about to.

  7. 一个都没出 means…

    • it's sold out
    • one came out
    • all came out
    • not a single one came out
    Show the answer

    not a single one came out 一个都没, not even one.

  8. Type the Chinese or pinyin for luck.

    Show the answer

    yùnqi 运气, and the qi is light.

More from this course

See all 15 days of Chinese for gamers