尖孙儿 jiān sūnr (jinn swurr)
Beijing slang for a hot guy. Literally “sharp guy.”
辣妹 làmèi (lah may)
Southern Chinese slang for a hot girl. Literally “spicy sister.”
惹火 rěhuǒ (ruh hwuh)
Sexy, hot (female). Popular among young people.
帅 shuài (shwhy-think of it as “shh” and “why” mushed into one syllable)
Handsome. Literally “leader in battle.” Describes men, but like “pretty,” piàoliang (page 59), this can also be said in response to an impressive spectacle. You can make the sentiment stronger by saying 很帅! hěn shuài! (hun shwhy), literally “very handsome,” or 帅呆了 shuài dāi le, literally “stunningly handsome.”
帅哥 shuài gē (shwigh guh-shuài rhymes with “high”)
Handsome man. Literally “handsome older brother.” Often used as a flattering form of address for any good-looking young man.
壮 zhuàng (jwong)
Buff, strong. Beijingers pronounce it using third tone instead of fourth tone-zhuǎng (jwong).
酷 kù (coo)
Cool (a transliteration from the English). A common way to describe a guy you find attractive, and more likely to be used by young people today than 帅 shuài (shwigh), which means “handsome.”
棒 bàng (bahng-almost like “bong” but with an ahh sound replacing the o)
Capable, strong, awesome. Often said when praising someone. If a child does a good job cleaning his or her room, you can say 很棒! hěn bàng! (hun bahng), literally “very great.” Or if a girl has a really rockin’ body, you can say, “他的身材很棒!” “Tā de shēncái hěn bàng!” (tah duh shen tsigh hun bahng): “Her body is awesome!”
倍儿棒 bèir bàng (burr bahng)
Really great, really awesome. This is how a Beijing or Tian jin local might express 棒 bàng (bahng). (倍 Bèi means “multiply” and the儿 er (er) sound indicates a Beijing accent.) Thus a Beijinger complimenting a girl’s body might say, “你的身材倍儿棒!” “Nĭ de shēncái bèir bang!” (nee duh shen tsigh burr bahng): “You have a rockin’ body.”
养眼 yǎngyǎn (yahng yen)
Eye candy, good-looking, beautiful, easy on the eyes. Literally “fits eye.”
喜欢 xǐhuān (shee hwun)
To like.
爱 ài (aye-rhymes with “sigh”)
To love.
疼 téng (tung) or 疼爱 téng ài (tung aye)
Love (verb). Can be used both for romantic love and for parental or familial love. Can also mean “to spoil,” as in spoiling a beloved child. Téng can also mean “pain,” which you shouldn’t read into too deeply, but knowing it should give extra depth to this way of saying love.
暗恋 ànliàn (ahn lyinn)
To have a crush on.
谈恋爱 tánliàn’ài (tahn lyinn aye)
To date, to have a relationship with. Literally “talk about love” or “talk romance.”
约会 yuēhuì (yreh hway)
A date (noun). Came about due to Western influence.
AA 制 AA zhì (AA jih) and AB 制 AB zhì (AB jih)
Literally “AA system” and “AB system.” “Going Dutch” when you eat out is often called AA zhì in Chinese. However, going Dutch is a relatively recent concept for Chinese people. More recently, some people (men dining out with women in particular) are choosing to split the bill but pay a bit more, say 70 percent, and this is called AB zhì.
初恋 chūliàn (choo lyinn)
First relationship, first love.
女朋友 nǚpéngyǒu (nee pung yo)
Girlfriend. A direct translation from the English word, and like the English it usually means the girl a guy is dating but sometimes merely refers to a female friend.
男朋友 nánpéngyǒu (nahn pung yo)
Boyfriend.
马子 mǎzi (mah dz)
A slangy word for “girlfriend.” Originated in Hong Kong and was once used derogatorily (literally means “horse”), but now carries a positive connotation.
凯子 kǎizi (kigh dz)
A slangy term for “boyfriend” and the counterpart to mǎzi (above). Describes the ideal image of a boyfriend, as 凯 kǎi (kigh) means “triumphant” and connotes a hero victorious in battle.
我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ (wuh aye nee)
I love you.
鸳鸯 yuānyāng (yren yahng)
A pair of lovers. Also means Mandarin ducks, a frequent metaphor for lovers in classic literature.
拍拖 pāituō (pie twuh)
Courting, dating, being in love, having an affair. Literally “on patrol.” Used in southern China.
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.