Chán Như Con Gián - It's So Boring! 'Chán như con gián' translates as 'It's as boring as a cockroach.' 'What?' you might ask. 'How come a cockroach?' The cockroach has nothing to do with boredom, but its name in Vietnamese sounds similar to the word 'chán,' which means boring. When you're bored, you can express it by saying 'chán như con gián,' though the phrase itself sounds a little funny. This will undoubtedly impress Vietnamese native speakers, who do not expect you to know the slang phrase.