Niubi! The Real Chinese You Were Never Taught in School

热恋 rèliàn (ruh lyinn)

To be in the honeymoon phrase, head over heels.

蜜运 mìyùn (mee yreen)

Dating seriously. Literally “honey luck.” When a man and woman are in a relationship likely headed toward marriage, young people might say that they are in mìyùn, or struck by “honey luck.” The term is a play on the word “honeymoon,” 蜜月 mìyuè (mee yreh), because they sound similar.

爱称 àichēng (aye chung)

Literally “love name.” An affectionate nickname, like “baby” or “snookums.” A few common Chinese “love names” are 宝贝 bǎobèi (baow bay), “baby” or “treasure”; 亲爱的 qīnàide (cheen aye duh), “dear” or “dearest” or “dear one”; 老公 lǎogong (laow gohng), “husband” but more literally “old husband”; and 老婆 lǎopó (laow pwuh), “wife” but more literally “old wife.”

两小无猜 liǎngxiǎowúcāi (lyahng shaow oo tsigh)

Two innocent child playmates (puppy love).

青梅竹马 qīngméizhúmǎ (cheeng may jooh mah)

Childhood sweethearts. Literally “green plums and a bamboo horse,” which are both references to childhood, as green plums are not yet ripe, and the bamboo horse refers to a childhood game of pretending to ride horses using a bamboo stick.

光棍节 Guāng Gùn Jié (gwahng gwen jyih)

Singles Day. A holiday probably invented by a bunch of Chinese college students in Nanjing during the 1990s, and held on November 11 because of all the ones in the date (11/11), which represent single people. On that date, at 11:11 p.m., male college students across China scream their desire for a girlfriend, bang on rice bowls with spoons, and otherwise make a lot of noise.

剩女 shèngnǚ (shung nee)

Literally “leftover woman.” Refers to successful career women who have still not found a spouse, and who have passed an age that the Chinese consider ideal for getting married.

三隐女人 sān yǐn nǚrén (sahn een nee ren)

Literally “woman with three secrets.” Refers to married women who, for whatever reasons, keep their marital status, age, and child a secret, leading everyone to think they’re single.

一见钟情 yí jiàn zhōng qíng (ee jinn johng cheeng)

Love at first sight. Literally “see once and love.” 锺情 Zhōng qíng (johng ching) means love or like.

爱屋及乌 ài wū jí wū (aye ooh gee ooh)

Literally “love house and bird.” An expression meaning that when you love someone, you also love everything belonging to or associated with them. An equivalent English expression might be “Love me, love my dog.”

空窗期 kōngchuāngqī (kohng chwahng chee)

Literally “open-window period,” referring to the window of time after a breakup when a person is up for grabs. Used especially in reference to someone that everyone wants.

黄昏恋 huánghūnliàn (hwahng hwen lyinn) or 夕阳恋 xīyángliàn (she yahng lyinn)

Literally “love at dusk” or “sunset love.” A romance between two elderly people. The rising sun is an oft-used metaphor for youth, and conversely the elderly are associated with the setting sun.

跨国恋 kuàguóliàn (kwah gwuh lyinn)

Literally “transnational love.” Refers to a relationship between a Chinese person and a foreigner, or any intercultural relationship.

扛洋枪 kángyángqiāng (kahng yahng chyahng-the ah in all three syllables indicates a short a, as in “ma” or “la”)

Literally “shoulder foreign rifles.” Used in the late nineteenth century to refer to Chinese people using items from overseas (pens, clothes, etc.) and now refers to Chinese women who date and/or sleep with foreigners.

网恋 wǎngliàn (wahng lyinn)

Internet dating, falling in love via the Internet.

师生恋 shī shēng liàn (shih shung lyinn)

Literally “teacher-student love.” A romantic relationship between a teacher and a student. Such relationships are extremely common in China, where it can be difficult for diligent students to meet romantic prospects.

老牛吃嫩草 lǎoniú chī nèncǎo (low new chih nun tsow)

A relationship between two people with a large age difference. Literally, “The old cow eats fresh grass.”

姐弟恋 jiědìliàn (jyih dee lyinn)

A relationship between an older woman and a much younger man. Literally “older sister, younger brother love.”

老少恋 lǎoshàoliàn (laow shaow lyinn)

Love between people with a big age difference. Literally “old-young love.”

忘年恋 wàngniánliàn (wahng nyinn lyinn)

Being in love despite age differences. Literally “forgetting-age love.”

两地恋 liǎngdìliàn (lyahng dee lyinn)

Long-distance relationship.

Miscellaneous types

傍大款 bàngdàkuǎn (bahng dah kwahn)

Literally “depend on a rich man” or “live off a rich man.” Negatively describes a woman having an intimate relationship with a wealthy man who supports her (and who may or may not be already married).

味道美女 wèidào mĕinǚ (way dow may nee)

Hot waitress. Literally “delectable beauty.”

骨头轻 gǔtóu qīng (goo toe ching)

Bimbo, airhead. Literally “light bones.”

浪 làng (lahng)

Northern Chinese slang for “shallow,” “airheaded,” or “flighty” (describing women). Can also mean “to stroll” or “to wander.”

绣花枕头 xìuhuā zhěntou (show hwa jen toe)

Literally “embroidered pillow,” meaning something or someone that is beautiful but useless.

老来俏 lǎo lái qiào (laow laow tsie)

An older person who dresses young. Literally “[from] old to pretty.”

装嫩 zhuāng nèn (jwahng nun)

Literally “pretending to be tender” or “faking softness” and describing someone who speaks girlishly, dresses young, and/or otherwise behaves much younger than he or she is.

校花 xiàohuā (shyaow hwa)

Literally “school flower.” Equivalent to the head of the cheerleading team-the most popular and desired girl in school.

校草 xiàocǎo (shaow tsow-both syllables rhyme with “pow”)

Literally “school grass.” Equivalent to the high school quarterback-the school hunk.

后生 hòushēng (ho shung)

Young man. Literally “born later.” Used in southern China.

滥情 lànqíng (lahn cheeng)

Something along the lines of a “romantic” crossed with a “player”-someone who loves everyone he or she sees. Said of both men and women. Literally “excessive feelings.” Can be used as an adjective too, as in 他这人挺滥情的 tā zhè rén tǐng lànqíng de (tah juh ren ting lahn ching duh): literally “this person really has a lot of excessive feelings” but meaning something more like “this person’s always falling in love with everyone he meets.”

小白脸 xiǎobáiliǎn (shyow buy lyinn)

Literally “little white face.” Refers to a young, slightly effeminate or somewhat “soft”-looking man (hence the white face, which is considered an effeminate feature). May also connote that the young man depends on an older woman for money instead of working for a living.