Meaning:

“空耳” or soramimi, literally meaning “empty ear” in Chinese, is a Japanese word for humorous homophonic translation of words or song lyrics, that is, deliberately reinterpreting words or lyrics in one language as similar-sounding words or lyrics in another language for comic effect. It’s part of the contemporary internet meme culture.

The slang usage is derived from the long-running “Soramimi Hour” segment on Japanese comedian Tamori’s TV program “Tamori Club” in the 1990s.

Example:

A: 小林给我最后的微信回复是724。这是什么意思？

Xiǎo Lín gěiwǒ zuìhòude wēixìn huífù shì 724。Zhèshì shénme yìsi？

Lin ended our WeChat conversation with a “724.” What does this mean?

B: 这是代表干杯的意思。因为“cheers”的英文读音空耳过来就是724。如果你读“724”比较快速的话，跟英文的“cheers”是差不多的。

Zhèshì dàibiǎo gānbēi de yìsi。Yīnwèi “cheers” de yīngwén dúyīn kōngěr guòlái jiùshì “724”。Rúguǒ nǐdú “724” bǐjiào kuàisù dehuà，gēn yīngwénde “cheers” shì chàbuduō de。

It means “cheers.” It’s soramimi humor. If you say “qi”, “er” and “si” quickly enough, together they have similar sounds of “cheers” in English.