我暗恋你
wǒ ànliàn nǐ
In Chinese, the phrase to say "I have a crush on you" is 我暗恋你 (wǒ ànliàn nǐ).
我暗恋你 is used specifically when the speaker has been harboring feelings for the person without the person knowing.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 暗恋 (ànliàn) literally means "secret love", where 暗 means "dark/secret" and 恋 means "love/attachment".
Which one should you use?
While 我暗恋你 implies a secret crush, 我喜欢你 (wǒ xǐhuān nǐ) is a more direct way to express liking or affection, often used during a confession.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the phrase 我鐘意你 is an informal way to say "I have a crush on you".
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ ànliàn nǐ
Did you know?
- In Chinese social media, people often use the number '520' as a shorthand for confessing a crush because it sounds similar to 我爱你 ('I love you') in Mandarin.
- In many Chinese-speaking cultures, confessing a crush is often referred to as '表白' (biǎobái), which literally means 'to present one's white/inner side' to someone.
- In some contexts, the feeling of a crush is described as 酸酸甜甜 ('sour and sweet'), mirroring the sensory experience of the emotion.
Examples in context
- 我暗恋你很久了。Wǒ ànliàn nǐ hěn jiǔ le.I have had a crush on you for a long time.
- 其实，我暗恋你。Qíshí, wǒ ànliàn nǐ.Actually, I have a crush on you.
Example conversation
Two friends are walking home together in the evening.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen俊杰，我一直想对你说，我暗恋你。Jùnjié, wǒ yīzhí xiǎng duì nǐ shuō, wǒ ànlìan nǐ.Junjie, I've always wanted to tell you, I have a crush on you.
- 俊杰 Junjie真的吗？我之前完全不知道。Zhēn de ma? Wǒ zhīqián wánquán bù zhīdào.Really? I had no idea before now.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen因为我太害羞了，不敢告诉你。Yīnwèi wǒ tài hàixiū le, bù gǎn gàosù nǐ.Because I was too shy to tell you.
- 俊杰 Junjie其实我也一直很喜欢你。Qíshí wǒ yě yīzhí hěn xǐhuān nǐ.Actually, I have always liked you too.
