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Q: if someone is talking about me, what words do I listen for ?
I haven't learned much Chinese. I use my phone translator. I've asked people I know to teach me some, but when I ask what a word is that I hear, i never get an answer. I have used some recordings to learn a few phrases.
I'm wondering what derogatory words I should be listening for if I think someone is talking about me ?
Shun Jin bin or something that sounds like that. The word Sha Bi that you may hear that is directed in your direction. Those are the two that I can point off at the top of my head. 
Mr_spoon:
I think you meant Shen jing bing 神经病, which means "retard".
I'll contribute:
lao wai (老外)and wai guo ren (外国人) should be obvious...2 variations of "foreigner".
yang gui zi (洋鬼子)- foreign devil
kchur:
The worst is 外国佬 wai4guo3lao3， because it's only ever said in the most condescending way possible. Even 洋鬼子 can be said jokingly but 外国佬
is always sneered with arrogant disdain.
Da bize (big nose) 大 鼻子. Only heard it once and it was directed at a friend of mine who really HAD a big one. Like a shark fin...
bai guizi (white ghost) 白 鬼子。
Finally heard the 外国佬 insult yesterday. It kinda took me by surprise, as I had enjoyed 2 days of insult-free holidays up until that point (well, at least I didn't hear any). So luckily I was in a good mood and didn't feel the need to squash this particular little insect. 
Question for kchur though...what's your typical response in this situation? Do you fire back or just let it roll? I'd like to fire back, without having to fight all the idiots in the immediate vicinity...1 or 2 I could take, but yesterday was holiday sightseeing...so there were like a million of the bastards. Just looking for something I could say that might take them by surprise, embarrass them a little...but not get them ruffled up too much 
kchur:
When I am outside I don't respond to anything (most of the time, I was sick the last couple weeks and started going ballistic at people because I just couldn't take it when my body was falling apart). Normally I just keep moving as if I'm on an empty street. I've mastered the art of not even flinching no matter what someone does to me. And then I add it to a little festering pile of racial hatred growing in my brain like a tumor.
I don't see what option I have other than ignoring + letting bitterness grow. When I react, the situation inevitably escalates beyond the point of control, and it's always thousands of them versus one of me. They want it that way, I don't know what for or what they hope to accomplish.
no one says yang gui zi. its not the 1920's. and no one says ri ben gui zi anymore, its not the 1940's hahah.. i dont know where you got these from. gui er zi and gou ri de are just wrong. it should be wang ba dan and gou niang yang de but no one says gou niang yang de because song of a bitch itsnt chinese, its western.
just listen for lao wai. ive never heard waiguo lao. the guys that have heard it, where in China are you?
kchur:
I've heard Yangguizi more than a few times. I've spent most of my time in Jaingsu and Zhejiang.Once, when I was doing a summer course in Guangxi, a tablefull of students started busting their asses laughing after I ate a dish with onions because of the pun that provided. Then, later, some teenage students in the same school started having a loud conversation about how to say yangguizi in English and busted their asses laughing when they came up with "ocean ghost".
Chinese say that don't say Yangguizi because they know how deeply negative it is, and are trying to save face and not sound ignorant. Kind of how white people "don't say nigger" back in the states.
GuilinRaf:
Actually Xun, they do. At least in Beijing.
Last term I was buying DVDs from a street vendor, and as I am making my selection, he turns to his friend and says "kan kan, yanguizi" while pointing at me.
I calmly told him "wo bu shi yanguizi," dropped the DVD back to his card and walked away as his friend laughed his ass off. Never bought from that guy again, which is a pity because he usually had a pretty good selection.
xunliang:
i dont believe that for a second but then again i dont really care. Ive been here 4 years and Ive never heard it. Ive been to plenty of cities, and stayed a while in Nanjing, Shanghai and Quanzhou and not heard it once. maybe I dont get sweared at as much as you guys but I cant imagine anyone using such a stupid phrase at me. in addition gui lao is cantonese so you wont here that unless youre way down south.
GuilinRaf:
Ok, so just because the all mighty xun did not hear it, means it did not exist? what a rude little kid!
xunliang:
thats right. plus my girlfriend says they dont use it either. but what would she know right? shes only chinese
xunliang:
sorry but a lot of you are thinking your hearing stuff but your not. wai guo lai is also cantonese, so saying you heard it in ningbo or wherever cooter makes no sense whatsoever. anything with a lao or zai at the end is cantonese. yang gui zi is used but very VERY rarely. its just out of date, its like us using out of date slag, like whiz, or rad. whould you say those words now? no. its the the same with yang gui zi. it might get used but in 4 years i swear i've never heard it.
GuilinRaf:
Okay, then why not say it that way? That in " time you have never heard, or seen "x". Calling people liars is just plain trollish.
xunliang:
well cooter is lying. hes jumping on the "I've been swore at too. I hate China too" bandwagon. its a cantonese word so unless he manged to bump into a cantonese person speaking cantonese in ninbo (i guess it could happen.....) hes either heard wrong or is just talking crap.
