Free Niubi! by Eveline Chao Page B

“eat soft rice.” A negative expression for a man (of any age) who depends on his girlfriend or wife for a living. Mainly used in southern China.
     
    花 huā ( hwah )
    An adjective used to describe a “player.” Literally “flower.”
     
    花花公子 huāhuāgōngzǐ ( hwa hwa gong dz —the gong sound has a long o , like “oh”)
    A playboy (and also the Chinese name for Playboy magazine). Literally “flower prince.”
     
    钻石王老五 zuànshí wáng lǎo wǔ ( dzwun shih wahng low ooh )
    Literally “diamond bachelor.” A wealthy, older, eligible man. Used mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan (where it’s written 鑽石王老五).
    单身贵族 dānshēn guì zú ( dan shen gway dzoo )
    Literally “unmarried nobility.” 单身 Dānshēn ( dan shen ) means “single” and many people now use this term with “nobility” added to convey the idea that there’s nothing wrong with being single and it’s something to be proud of, like something that noble people enjoy.
     
    歪瓜劣枣 wāi guā lìe zǎo ( why gwah lyih dzow )
    Literally “crooked melons and split-open dates,” referring to a group of unattractive people. For example, 他们学校的男生都是些歪瓜劣枣 Tā men xué xiào de nán shēng dōu shì xiē wāi guā liè zǎo ( tah men shreh shaow duh nahn shung doe shih shih why gwah lyih dzow ) means “The boys at that school are all ugly.”
     
    娘娘腔 niángniangqiāng ( nyahng nyahng chyahng )
    Sissy, pansy, an effeminate man with a girly voice. Can imply that the person is gay, though can also be used teasingly with a close friend. Literally “girly tone.”
     
    奶油小生 nǎiyóu xiǎoshēng ( nigh yo shaow shung )
    An effeminate young man. Can be slightly derogatory, just like the word “girly.” Literally “buttery young man” or “butter-boy.”
     
    夫妻相 fūqī xiàng ( foo chee shyung )
    Literally “husband-and-wife appearance.” We often say that a husband and wife start to look like each other as time goes by. Somewhat along the same lines, many Chinese believe that a man and woman who share certain similar facial features will have a longer-lasting marriage, and thus match-makers might consider their fūqī xiàng in debating their suitability for marriage.
     
    王八看绿豆, 看对眼了 wángbā kàn lǜdòu, kàn duì yǎn le ( wahng bah kahn lee dough, kahn dway yen luh )
    A joking expression that means two ugly people will find each other attractive. Literally “a tortoise will gaze at two mung beans” (because the eyes of a tortoise look like two mung beans).
     
    情侣衫 qínglǚ shān ( cheeng lee shahn ) or 情侣装 qínglǚ zhuāng ( cheeng lee jwong )
    Matching couple outfits. Literally “lovers’ shirts” or “couples’ outfits.” Also 对衫 duì shān ( dway shahn ), literally “matching shirts.” There is an inexplicable trend in China (and also South Korea) of couples wearing matching shirts. One (of many) of these T-shirt sets has an arrow pointing toward the girl, and the words, “Falling in love, she is my girlfriend.” The girl of course wears a shirt with an arrow pointing to the man, which says, “Falling in love, he is my boyfriend.” Moreover, these couples somehow manage to stay on the correct side of each other, always, while walking, sitting, shopping, and eating, so that the arrows are always pointing at each other.
     
    闪约 shǎnyuē ( shan yreh )
    Speed-dating. Literally “flash appointment.”

Marriage
    闪婚 shǎnhūn ( shahn hwen )
    Literally “flash marriage,” describing couples who meet, fall in love, and get married very quickly.
     
    两地分居 liǎng dì fēn jū ( lyahng dee fen gee )
    Long-distance marriage. Literally “in two different places” or “in two different cities.” Such marriages have long been common in China due to a strict residence permit system that results in many people finding work in cities far from their spouse, though nowadays this situation is