The term "Zu'an" comes directly from the video game League of Legends. In the game's lore, Zaun (translated as 祖安 Zǔ'ān in Chinese) is a chaotic, polluted, underground city known for its mad scientists, chem-barons, and a general culture of ruthless innovation and survival. It's a grim, cutthroat place.
Chinese players on the game's servers, particularly the "祖安" server, became infamous for their particularly vicious and creative trash-talking. The server's reputation grew to the point that "being from Zu'an" became a meme synonymous with being a master of insults. Thus, the style of trash talk born there was dubbed "Zu'an language."
Zu'an language is not just about being mean; it's an art form with its own unwritten rules:
The goal is to be clever and witty, not just to use strong swear words. Direct, vulgar profanity is considered low-skill and boring ("无能狂怒" Wúnéng kuángnù - impotent rage). The best Zu'an insults use puns, homophones, metaphors, and rhyme schemes. They often sound like catchy, brutal little poems or raps. They frequently reference classic literature, history, memes, current events, and other games to make the insult more layered and surprising.
A major driver of its creativity is the need to bypass strict Chinese internet censorship and automated profanity filters on platforms. By avoiding direct swear words and using coded language, these insults can survive longer before being deleted. In its "ideal" form, Zu'an language is meant to mock an opponent's in-game performance or intelligence, not their family, race, or other inherent traits (though this rule is often broken in the heat of the moment).
Example 1: The Classic
Insult: "你爹今晚必在亭子里面跳广场舞必被人搂腰" (Nǐ diē jīnwǎn bì zài tíngzi lǐmiàn tiào guǎngchǎng wǔ bì bèi rén lǒu yāo)
Literal Translation: "Your father tonight will surely be doing square-dancing in the pavilion and will surely have his waist grabbed by someone."
Meaning: This is a multi-layered insult. It implies their father is old (square-dancing is for retirees), frivolous, and, most humorously, that he will be the female partner in the dance (the one whose waist is held), implying emasculation. The use of "必" (bì - surely) is a very common Zu'an structure.
Example 2: The Rhyming Insult
Insult: "你打字这么慢,是坟头信号不好吗?" (Nǐ dǎzì zhème màn, shì féntóu xìnhào bù hǎo ma?)
Literal Translation: "You type so slowly, is the cell service bad on top of your grave?"
Meaning: A witty way to say "Just die already." It rhymes ("慢 màn" and "吗 ma") and uses a darkly humorous metaphor.
Example 3: The "Censorship-Bypassing" Insult
Instead of directly writing "傻逼" (shǎ bī - stupid cunt), a user might write:
Insult: "你是什么品种,怎么这么凶?" (Nǐ shì shénme pǐnzhǒng, zěnme zhème xiōng?)
Literal Translation: "What breed are you? Why are you so fierce?"
Meaning: This is a sarcastic way of calling someone a rabid animal without using any filter-triggering words.