约会
In Chinese, the phrase "a date" is 约会.
The term 约会 is used to mean both a romantic date and a general social appointment or meeting.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 约会 is composed of 约, which means to agree or contract and 会, which means to meet or gather.
Which one should you use?
While 约会 can refer to a romantic date, in a professional context, it is more common to use 预约 for a formal appointment.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "to have a date", one often uses the verb 有 (to have) before 约会, such as in the phrase 有个约会.
Did you know?
- The character 约 in 约会 originally referred to a physical rope or binding, symbolizing the 'binding' nature of a promise or agreement to meet.
- In modern Chinese internet slang, some people use the term 约炮 to describe a 'date' specifically for casual sex, replacing the 'meet' character with one meaning 'cannon' or 'fire'.
- If you want to specify a 'blind date', you would add the word 相亲 (xiāngqīn), which carries a much heavier connotation of family-arranged matchmaking than the casual 约会.
Examples in context
- 明天是2022年1月1日Tomorrow is January 1st, 2022.
- 截止日期为4月30日The deadline is April 30th.
- 我们下个星期二吃饭Let's have dinner next Tuesday.
- 我们明天有个约会。Wǒmen míngtiān yǒu ge yuēhuì.We have a date tomorrow.
- 这是一个浪漫的约会。Zhè shì yí ge làngmàn de yuēhuì.This is a romantic date.
Example conversation
Junjie asks Yuting about her plans for the evening.
- 俊杰 Junjie你今晚有约会吗？Nǐ jīnwǎn yǒu yuēhuì ma?Do you have a date tonight?
- 雨婷 Yuting有的，我和男朋友有个约会。Yǒu de, wǒ hé nán péngyǒu yǒu ge yuēhuì.Yes, I have a date with my boyfriend.
- 俊杰 Junjie祝你们约会愉快！Zhù nǐmen yuēhuì yúkuài!Have a nice date!
- 雨婷 Yuting谢谢你，俊杰。Xièxiè nǐ, Jùnjié.Thank you, Junjie.
