闺蜜
guīmì
In Chinese, the English term bestie is translated as 闺蜜 (guīmì).
The term 闺蜜 is used to refer to a person's closest friend, typically among women to describe their closest girlfriends. Another informal option is 死党, which originated from a Cantonese term and describes an extremely close friendship.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 闺蜜 is composed of 闺 (guī), meaning a lady's private boudoir or chamber and 蜜 (mì), meaning honey.
Which one should you use?
While 闺蜜 is used specifically for female best friends, 哥们儿 is a common way to refer to close male friends or 'bros'. To express the concept of a best friend in a general sense, you can use the phrase 最好的朋友.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
闺蜜 is an informal term commonly used in social media, texting and casual conversation among women. Similarly, 死党 is also an informal way to express the idea of a bestie. For a more formal way to express bestie, use 挚友.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 死党 originated from a Cantonese term.
How do you pronounce it?
guīmì
When do people say it?
The term 闺蜜 is widely used among females to describe their closest girlfriends.
Did you know?
- While 闺蜜 is used for female friends, the term 死党 literally translates to 'death party' or 'death squad'.
- The word 闺 refers to the traditional private boudoir or inner chambers where women lived in ancient China, making the term 'bestie' carry a subtle historical connotation of female-only spaces.
- Using 闺蜜 to describe a man can be a playful or sarcastic way to imply he is 'one of the girls'.
Examples in context
- 我的挚友是我在大学时结识的那位朋友。My bestie is the friend I met in college.
- 他是我的知己，我们之间有着深厚的默契。He is my bestie, we share a deep understanding between us.
- 我们绝对是死党，对彼此守口如瓶。We are definitely besties, keeping each each other's secrets.
- 她是我的好闺蜜。Tā shì wǒ de hǎo guīmì.She is my bestie.
- 我和闺蜜去逛街了。Wǒ hé guīmì qù guàngjiē le.I went shopping with my bestie.
Example conversation
Jiayi is showing a photo to Wei.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你看，这是我的闺蜜。Nǐ kàn, zhè shì wǒ de guīmì.Look, this is my bestie.
- 伟 Wei你们看起来关系很好。Nǐmen kàn qǐlái guānxì hěn hǎo.You two look like you have a great relationship.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，我们认识很多年了。Shì de, wǒmen rènshi hěnduō nián le.Yes, we've known each other for many years.
- 伟 Wei太棒了，有闺蜜真好。Tài bàng le, yǒu guīmì zhēn hǎo.That's great, it's wonderful to have a bestie.
