Reform has brought us some nifty things over the years, and none more next-gen as the recent lift of the ban on video game consoles in China. This September, the Xbox One will sold in the Shanghai free trade zone.

Soon, the joys of online console multi-player will be experienced by a new video gaming audience. While market analysts speculate upon proper strategies to win over this new market, there is but one practical problem left for the common gamer to deal with: how do I smack talk to a mainland Chinese player over Xbox Live?

Now, certain factor may not facilitate online smack talk for Chinese Xbox Live. It may well be that China will become its own online-locked region and serve as an extension of the Great Firewall to keep the potty mouths of rambunctious 12 year-old Call of Duty players from spoiling the unsullied ears of Chinese players. Furthermore, it may well be that a Chinese player would rather rocket jump at the chance to practice his English with a native English speaker like you than engage in online griefing.

Be that as it may, online fragging employs its own universal language made up of an alphabet of gibs. That said, here are some easy Chinese phrases with which to punctuate your online kills.

Remember: use responsibly in the virtual world of digitized blood, and not in a practical situation in the real world—there are no resets there.

1) 你死定了 (Nǐ sǐ dìng le): “You’re gonna die!” The basics. Not great banter, but good for hyping up the contest as you wait it out in the lobby.

2) 去死吧 (Qù sǐ ba):”Go to hell!” A very common insult, very applicable in the context of mutual fragging.

3) 你被打中了 (Nǐ bèi dǎ zhòng le): “I shot/hit you!” Again, nothing too difficult, but then it’s these simple phrases that you are more likely to use while double jumping or parkouring or whatever is occupying most of your brain.

4)  无懈可击 (Wúxièkějī): “Unassailable/impeccable.” Be sure to say this after you frag someone else, and not when someone tags you.

5) 你不是我的对手 (Nǐ bùshì wǒ de duìshǒu): This literally means “You are not my opponent”, but saying this after you have beaten someone gives the implication that “You are not worthy of being my opponent.”

6) 起死回生 (Qǐ sǐ huí shēng): This means “to rise from the dead” or to make “an unexpected recovery”. Scream this out whenever you respawn to get on your opponents nerves.

7) 我要给我师父报仇 (Wǒ yào gěi wǒ shīfu bàochóu): “I will avenge my master!” Nothing remotely to do with the first-person shooter genre, but still a cool thing to shout out.

8) 我要斩草除根 (Wǒ yào zhǎncǎochúgēn): This literally means” I want to pull up grass by the roots” when you’re talking about plants, but when spoken with a blood-curdling tone this means to “I will completely destroy my enemies“.

9) 你死在我手下，一点儿也不冤枉 (Nǐ sǐ zài wǒ shǒuxià, yīdiǎn er yě bù yuānwang): “It is no injustice at all for you to die at my hands.” A verbal barb traded within the confines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this one is good when yelled or as a menacing whisper.

10) 我一路过关斩将，终于杀入决赛 (Wǒ yīlù guòguānzhǎnjiàng, zhōngyú shā rù juésài): “After all my trials and tribulations, I will kill my way to the top.” A little wordy perhaps, but still a gem that will strike a chord among Chinese players for evoking an idiom about Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms era.

Photo: Evil Avatar