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\tThe phrase <\/strong>\u8272\u72fc<\/strong> (sèláng) literally translates as “color wolf”<\/strong>. This has no real meaning in English but most closely means “womanizer” or “sex maniac”. There is also a female version of this – \u8272\u5973 (sèn\u01da), which can be used to refer to a femme fatale. To understand where these phrases come from, we need to take a closer look at the characters.<\/p>\n \tA breakdown of the characters in <\/strong>\u8272\u72fc<\/strong> (sèláng) and <\/strong>\u8272\u5973<\/strong> (sèn\u01da):<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\u8272 (sè): color (eg \u9ec4\u8272 – huángsè – yellow) \tThe character \u8272 (sè) is really pivotal here.<\/strong> The meaning goes beyond just “color” and can reflect appearance, looks and even sex. This most likely has its roots in Buddhism, which tends to view color as a spiritual expression of the earthly being. So, it has a long association with physical desire. This has trickled down into the Chinese language through \u8272 (sè). For example, \u8272\u60c5 (sèqíng) means “erotic”.<\/p>\n \tThe meaning of \u72fc (láng) is a little bit easier to understand. It refers to the wild and animal-like nature of a lustful person or a sex maniac.<\/p>\n \tLet’s go through a few examples to get a feel for how <\/strong>\u8272\u72fc<\/strong> (sèláng) is used in everyday speech.<\/strong><\/p>\n \tExample 1)<\/p>\n \t“\u4ece\u5c11\u5e74\u5230\u6210\u5e74, \u6211\u4e00\u76f4\u5728\u505a\u4e00\u4e2a\u597d\u4eba\u8fd8\u662f\u505a\u4e00\u4e2a\u8272\u72fc\u4e4b\u95f4\u5de6\u53f3\u6447\u6446.“<\/span><\/p>\n \t“Cóng sh\u01ceonián dào chéngnián, w\u01d2 y\u012bzhí zài zuò y\u012bge h\u01ceorén háishì zuò y\u012bge sèláng<\/span> zh\u012bji\u0101n zu\u01d2yòu yáob\u01cei.”<\/p>\n \t“Since I was a child, I have vacillated between acting like a good person and a sex maniac<\/span>.”<\/p>\n \tExample 2)<\/p>\n \t“\u597d\u8272\u72fc\u8bdd\u4e0d\u591a.“<\/span><\/p>\n \t“H\u01ceo sèláng<\/span> huà bù du\u014d.”<\/p>\n \t“A good womanizer<\/span> is a man of few words.”<\/p>\n \tExample 3)<\/p>\n \t“\u5929\u6c14\u70ed\u4e86,\u51fa\u884c\u65f6\u7a7f\u7684\u88c5\u5907\u4e5f\u5728\u51cf\u5c11,\u8272\u72fc\u4e5f\u5f00\u59cb\u8822\u8822\u6b32\u52a8.“<\/span><\/p>\n \t“Ti\u0101nqì rèle, ch\u016bxíng shí chu\u0101nde zhu\u0101ngbèi y\u011b zài ji\u01censh\u01ceo, sèláng<\/span> y\u011b k\u0101ish\u01d0 ch\u01d4nch\u01d4n yù dòng.”<\/p>\n \t“The weather is hot, people are wearing less clothing outside and sex maniacs<\/span> are on the prowl.”<\/p>\n \tExample 4)<\/p>\n \t“\u90a3\u4e2a\u8272\u72fc\u53c8\u51fa\u73b0\u4e86?\u4ed6\u8ba9\u6211\u6d51\u8eab\u8d77\u9e21\u76ae\u7599\u7629.”<\/span><\/p>\n \t“Nèige sèláng<\/span> yòu ch\u016bxiànle? t\u0101 ràng w\u01d2 húnsh\u0113n q\u01d0 j\u012b pí g\u0113da.”<\/p>\n \t“That pervert<\/span> showed up again? He gives me the creeps.”<\/p>\n
\t\u72fc (láng): wolf (eg \u72fc\u4eba – lángrén – wolf man)
\t\u5973 (n\u01da): female (eg \u5973\u513f – n\u01da ér – daughter)<\/p>\n