约会
yuēhuì
In Chinese, the word for dating is 约会 (yuēhuì).
约会 refers to the act of romantic courtship or going on dates. It is also used more broadly to describe any pre-arranged social appointment or date.
Meaning: a form of romantic courtship (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 约会 is composed of 约, meaning to agree or appoint and 会, meaning to meet or gather.
Which one should you use?
While 约会 refers to the specific act of going on dates or the individual meetings themselves, the phrase 谈恋爱 is used to describe the ongoing state of being in a romantic relationship or falling in love.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone is currently in the process of dating or is currently on a date, you can add the preposition 在 before 约会 to form 在约会.
How do you pronounce it?
yuēhuì
Did you know?
- The concept of 'dating' can sometimes be described through the metaphor of 'eating vinegar' (吃醋, chīcù) if one partner feels jealous during the courtship process.
- While 约会 refers to the act of dating, Chinese has a specific word 脱单 which literally means 'to shed the single', used by young people to describe the moment they finally enter a relationship.
- Young people in China often use the term 暧昧 to describe the 'grey area' before 约会 becomes official, referring to a state of romantic ambiguity and tension.
Examples in context
- 你儿子正在和我女儿约会。Your son is dating my daughter.This sentence is useful for describing someone currently dating.Tatoeba #7774427 by jiangche, translation #3424198 by CK
- 莱拉开始和萨米约会交往了。Layla started dating Sami.This sentence is useful for describing the start of a dating period.Tatoeba #13878982 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #6106901 by OsoHombre
- 汤姆三个月前开始和玛丽约会。Tom started dating Mary three months ago.This sentence is useful for describing when a dating period began.Tatoeba #5842619 by verdastelo9604, translation #4017295 by CK
- 我们一起约会吧Let's go on a date together.
- 我明天有个相亲I have a blind date tomorrow.
- 我们已经开始交往了We have already started dating.
- 他在撩我He's flirting with me.
- 他们已经开始谈恋爱了They have already started dating.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting about their social lives in a cafe.
- 雨婷 Yuting你最近在约会吗？Nǐ zuìjìn zài yuēhuì ma?Are you dating anyone lately?
- 伟 Wei没有，我最近没在约会。Méiyǒu, wǒ zuìjìn méi zài yuēhuì.No, I haven't been dating lately.
- 雨婷 Yuting你不想找个约会对象吗？Nǐ bù xiǎng zhǎo gè yuēhuì duìxiàng ma?Don't you want to find someone to date?
- 伟 Wei我现在还没准备好约会。Wǒ xiànzài hái méi zhǔnbèi hǎo yuēhuì.I'm not ready for dating right now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
