As China’s global influence grows, the needs of Chinese language learners have become increasingly diversified, making their command of the “living language” ever more crucial. However, the update cycles of current international Chinese teaching materials struggle to keep pace with the rapid evolution of Chinese society, particularly its online language, resulting in a significant disconnect between what learners study and the realities of communication. Internet catchphrases, serving as a “barometer of social mentality”, are a key window into understanding contemporary Chinese socio-cultural dynamics, yet they pose a major comprehension barrier for intermediate and advanced learners. To address this challenge, this study explores viable pathways for systematically integrating internet catchphrases into international Chinese teaching and proposes an innovative short-term course design. Grounded in sociocultural theory and a three-dimensional model of cultural teaching, this research constructs a ten-session course titled “ ‘Geng’ dong Zhongguo: Decoding Internet Catchphrases and Contemporary Social Sentiments”. The course employs thematic instruction, organizing catchphrases around social issues such as the workplace, lifestyle, consumption, technology, and grassroots culture. Its core pedagogical innovation is the “Word-Meme-Context” trinity approach, which requires learners not only to master the words themselves but also to understand their cultural origins and use them appropriately in authentic contexts. The paper elaborates on the course syllabus, teaching objectives, and demonstrates specific teaching procedures using the “Workplace Survival Guide” lesson as an example. This paper argues for the course’s core value in enhancing learners’ communicative authenticity, fostering cultural insight, and stimulating learning motivation. Simultaneously, it addresses potential challenges such as the transient nature of catchphrases, the complexity of cultural interpretation, and heightened demands on teachers, proposing countermeasures focused on developing “meta-learning skills”, deepening the teaching of “perspectives”, and building teacher learning communities. Finally, the study offers implications for international Chinese textbook compilation, suggesting the inclusion of dynamic modules and promoting the digitalization of teaching materials. It advocates for international Chinese education to place greater emphasis on the social vitality of language, aiming to cultivate global citizens who are both proficient communicators and deeply culturally literate.