跨性别
kuà xìng bié
The English word 'transgender' is translated into Chinese as 跨性别 (kuà xìng bié).
跨性别 is used to describe a person whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. It can function as an adjective or as a predicate in a sentence, such as in the phrase 'I am transgender'.
Meaning: (broadly) of a person: having a gender (identity) which is different from one’s assigned sex, (strictly) of a person: having a gender (identity) which is opposite from the sex one was assigned at birth (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 跨性别 is composed of 跨 (kuà) meaning 'to cross/span', 性 (xìng) meaning 'gender/sex' and 别 (bié) meaning 'difference/distinction'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 变性人士 is a regional variation used in some areas to mean 'transgender'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the adjective 跨性别 into a noun referring to a transgender person, you can add the suffix 者 to create 跨性别者.
How do you pronounce it?
kuà xìng bié
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese opera, characters who play the opposite gender are referred to as 反串 (fǎnchuàn), a term that predates the modern concept of 跨性别 (kuàxìngbié).
- In some social media contexts, the term 跨性别 (kuàxìngbié) may be intentionally misspelled or coded to bypass automated internet censorship filters.
- In Chinese, the single term 性别 (xìngbié) is used to cover both 'gender' and 'sex', meaning one word performs two functions that English separates.
Examples in context
- 我是跨性别。I'm transgender.This sentence is useful for saying 'I am transgender' using 跨性别.Tatoeba #12253513 by avi1000, translation #10118264 by shekitten
- 玛丽是跨性别。Mary is transgender.This sentence is useful for saying 'Mary is transgender' using 跨性别.Tatoeba #12253512 by avi1000, translation #5050560 by Hybrid
- 他是跨性别者 (Tā shì kuà xìng bié zhě)He is transgender.
- 她是一位跨性別人士 (Tā shì yí wèi kuà xìng bié rén shì)She is a transgender individual.
- 她是跨性别者 (Tā shì kuà xìng bié zhě)She is transgender.
- 他是一位跨性别艺术家。Tā shì yī wèi kuàxìngbié yìshùjiā.He is a transgender artist.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a documentary at a cafe.
- 浩然 Haoran这个关于跨性别的纪录片很有意义。Zhège guānyú kuàxìngbié de jìlùpiàn hěn yǒu yìyì.This documentary about transgender people is very meaningful.
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，浩然，我觉得很有启发。Shì de, Hàorán, wǒ juéde hěn yǒu qǐfā.Yes, Haoran, I found it very inspiring.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，你觉得其中的故事真实吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ juéde qízhōng de gùshì zhēnshí ma?Yuting, do you think the stories in it are real?
- 雨婷 Yuting非常真实，感人至深。Fēicháng zhēnshí, gǎnrén zhìshēn.Very real, and deeply moving.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
