Meaning:

    “读书” literally means to “read books,” which is often equivalent to “receiving one’s education” in Chinese; “少” means “little;” while “你别骗我” is an imperative sentence that means “You don’t fool me.” Originally a line from Bruce Lee in one of his movies, and recently used as the title of a book by Chinese author Ma Boyong (马伯庸，《我读书少 你可别骗我》), this sentence somehow became popular among Chinese netizens. Used jokingly to ask people to tell the truth, it can be translated as “I don’t have much education, so don’t try to fool me.” It can also be used sarcastically when a person feels shocked at something outrageous.

    Example:

    A: 看什么图片呢？

    Kàn shénme túpiàn ne?

    What are you checking out?

    B: 一少女不肯回家和她爸爸当街厮打。

    Yī shàonǚ bùkěn huíjiā hé tā bàba dāngjiē sīdǎ。

    This girl who doesn’t want to go home with her dad scuffles with him in the street.

    A: 这是十四岁吗？打扮的这样成熟！我读书少，你别骗我。

    Zhè shì shísìsuì ma? Dǎbàn de zhèyàng chéngshú! Wǒ dúshū shǎo, nǐ bié piàn wǒ。

    Is she only 14? She is dressed like a mature woman. I don’t have much education, so don’t try to fool me.

    B: 这孩子据说一个月没回家了。

    Zhè háizi jùshuō yīgèyuè méi huíjiā le。

    The kid reportedly hasn’t been home for a month.