\tIs love the universal language? Maybe – but deep gazes and long sighs only go so far. Eventually the need for practical communication kicks in.<\/p>\n
\tThis list of Mandarin Chinese love vocabulary will help. But love vocabulary only covers part of the complicated spectrum of falling in love.<\/p>\n
\tThis is especially true of Western \/ Asian love matches because of the many cultural differences concerning love, sex and marriage.<\/p>\n
\t <\/p>\n
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\t DAYS OF THE WEEK | BASIC MANDARIN
\tAlthough Asians are becoming more westernized in attitudes about love, there are still strong traditional values that guide behavior.<\/p>\n
\tThis traditionalism is due in a large part to relatively recent freedoms concerning love and marriage. Arranged marriages are still within living memory, and it has only been within the last 10 years that public displays of affection have become acceptable.<\/p>\n
\tVALENTINE’S DAY
\tWestern holidays such as Christmas and Halloween have gained popularity in Asian countries, and this also extends to Valentine’s Day. Gifts of roses and chocolates are the common ways of saying “I love you” in Mandarin-speaking countries.<\/p>\n
\tBut there is also a traditional Chinese Lover’s Day which falls on July 7th of the lunar calendar (August in the Western calendar).<\/p>\n
\tJuly in the lunar calendar happens to be “Ghost Month” – the time of year when spirits wander the earth. According to legend, the 7th day of the 7th month is the time when the goddess Zhi Nu can be re-united with her earthly lover.<\/p>\n
\tModern day lovers celebrate Lover’s Day with gifts of flowers. The number of flowers is significant: one red rose means "you are my only love," eleven roses means "you are a favorite," ninety-nine roses means "I will love you forever," and 108 roses means "marry me."<\/p>\n
\tMANDARIN LOVE VOCABULARY
\tAudio files are marked with \u25ba<\/p>\n
\t <\/p>\n
\tEnglish Pinyin Traditional Simplified
\tlove \u25ba ài qíng \u611b\u60c5 \u7231\u60c5
\tboyfriend \u25banán péng you \u7537\u670b\u53cb \u7537\u670b\u53cb
\tgirlfriend \u25ban\u01da péng you \u5973\u670b\u53cb \u5973\u670b\u53cb
\tbeautiful \u25bam\u011bi lì \u7f8e\u9e97 \u7f8e\u4e3d
\tI love you. \u25baW\u01d2 ài n\u01d0. \u6211\u611b\u4f60\uff61 \u6211\u7231\u4f60
\tdating \u25bayu\u0113 huì \u7d04\u6703 \u7ea6\u4f1a
\tWill you marry me? \u25baJià g\u011bi w\u01d2 h\u01ceo ma? \u5ac1\u7d66\u6211\u597d\u55ce? \u5ac1\u7ed9\u6211\u597d\u5417?
\tengaged \u25bading h\u016bn \u8a02\u5a5a \u8ba2\u5a5a
\tmarriage \u25bajié h\u016bn \u7d50\u5a5a \u7ed3\u5a5a
\twedding \u25bah\u016bn l\u01d0 \u5a5a\u79ae \u5a5a\u793c
\twedding anniversary \u25bajié h\u016bn zh\u014du nián jì niàn rì \u7d50\u5a5a\u5468\u5e74\u7d00\u5ff5\u65e5 \u7ed3\u5a5a\u5468\u5e74\u7eaa\u5ff5\u65e5
\thusband \u25baxi\u0101n sheng \u5148\u751f \u5148\u751f
\twife \u25batàitai \u592a\u592a \u592a\u592a
\tlovers \u25baqíng l\u01da \u60c5\u4fb6 \u60c5\u4fa3
\tValentine’s Day \u25baqíng rén jié \u60c5\u4eba\u7bc0 \u60c5\u4eba\u8282
\tValentine’s Day present \u25baqíng rén jié l\u01d0wù \u60c5\u4eba\u7bc0\u79ae\u7269 \u60c5\u4eba\u8282\u793c\u7269
\tflowers \u25baxi\u0101n hu\u0101 \u9bae\u82b1 \u9c9c\u82b1
\tchocolate \u25baqi\u01ceo kè lì \u5de7\u514b\u529b \u5de7\u514b\u529b
\tcandlelit dinner \u25bazhú gu\u0101ng w\u01cen c\u0101n \u880b\u5149\u665a\u9910 \u880b\u5149\u665a\u9910
\tromantic \u25balàng màn \u6d6a\u6f2b \u6d6a\u6f2b
\thappiness \u25ba xìngfú \u5e78\u798f \u5e78\u798f<\/p>\n