Slang dictionary · Work and life · Chinese internet slang
What does chigua (吃瓜) mean?
Also written: 吃瓜, 吃瓜群众, eating melon, melon-eating crowd
In short
Chigua (吃瓜, chī guā), "eating melon", means following gossip, scandals or online drama as a bystander, watching without taking part or taking sides, much like "grabbing the popcorn". The onlookers are 吃瓜群众, "the melon-eating masses", and 瓜 (melon) itself now means a piece of gossip. 吃瓜群众 was one of the language magazine 咬文嚼字's top 10 buzzwords of 2016.
Where chigua comes from
A common explanation is that on online forums, people who just watched an argument without posting were pictured cracking melon seeds on the sidelines; this shortened to 吃瓜, and the watchers became 吃瓜群众.
The phrase exploded in 2016, when 咬文嚼字 named 吃瓜群众 one of its top 10 buzzwords, noting that people use it to tease themselves or others for staying out of things and only watching. Since then 瓜 alone has come to mean gossip or news.
How to use chigua
- 前排吃瓜，坐等反转 (front-row seat, waiting for the plot twist)
- 今天微博又有大瓜，你看了吗？ (there's huge gossip on Weibo today, seen it?)
- 我就是个吃瓜群众，不站队 (I'm just a bystander, not picking sides)
- 这瓜保熟吗？ (is this melon ripe?, i.e. is this rumour true?)
- 吃瓜吃到自己公司头上了 (the gossip turned out to be about my own company)
Common spin-offs
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 吃瓜群众 | onlookers, ordinary netizens watching the drama |
| 大瓜 | big gossip, a major scandal |
| 瓜主 | the person the gossip is about |
| 这瓜保熟吗 | is this story reliable? |
| 吃瓜吃到自己 | the gossip turns out to involve you |
Eat melon responsibly
Chigua is lighthearted, but online "melons" are often unverified. Check sources before sharing, don't present rumours as fact, and never dig up or harass the people involved.
Saying 吃瓜 about disasters or tragedies sounds callous; avoid it there.
FAQ
What does 吃瓜群众 mean?
"The melon-eating masses": ordinary internet users who watch gossip or a controversy without commenting. It was a 2016 buzzword of the year.
What does 瓜 (melon) mean in Chinese slang?
A piece of gossip, scandal or trending news. 有瓜 means "there's some gossip".
What is chigua in English?
"Grabbing the popcorn" or "watching the drama unfold" are the closest.