Terms of endearment

[abcdefg]

I come across 傻丫头 on TV every week or two used in an affectionate manner, although usually in dynasty costume dramas.

Was wondering whether one could use it as a term of endearment even today. I instinctively worry that it would land me in the doghouse.

[Kenny同志]

I think it's fine if the girl is a child or teenager and you're pretty close to each other.

[abcdefg]

Thanks, Kenny.

[Kenny同志]

No problem, but bear in mind that it's usually used when the girl says something silly, naive, or foolish.

[abcdefg]

Those are the cultural fine points that make the all important difference between saying something kind and friendly and saying something offensive and insulting. Hard to get those shadings from a dictionary. Appreciate the "insider information."

Could I open this thread up a bit and ask others what terms of endearment they typically use? I often use 亲爱的 and sometimes 宝贝 when joking around in a romantic context.

[roddy]

It's a bit like saying 'daft girlie' or something - usable in certain situations perhaps, but with caution. Although I'm pretty sure you can cook your way out of any doghouse you accidentally land in.

[tooironic]

Keep in mind that 傻 is not quite a strong a word as "stupid" is in English. E.g. in Chinese the term 傻孩子 can be quite casual in tone, while in English "stupid kid" sounds quite aggressive, and "silly child" not much better.

[abcdefg]

When it comes to things like this, knowing when to use a certain colloquialism appropriately, that's when I always wish I read more. I would come across the terms in question in a variety of specific situations and that would make it easier to extrapolate to new territory.

Reading is still a very hard chore, instead of a pleasure like it is in my native language. Maybe next year it will be better.

[Guest realmayo]

Silly billy, abcdefg.

[Kenny同志]

Could I open this thread up a bit and ask others what terms of endearment they typically use? I often use 亲爱的 and sometimes 宝贝 when joking around in a romantic context.

Such terms are but a few, I am afraid. And 親愛的 and 寶貝 are the only two I can think of off the top of my head.

In fact, people tend to use personalised salutations for romantic purposes. For example, I once heard a man addressing his girlfriend as 親愛的小麻雀.

Take a look at these:

http://zhidao.baidu.com/link?url=-SJwxzMCNy3-jjJABu2l1xQoU-D2nwGFOqO9G9VLfmW6QXVhwqhTJEGuJrnwg3Vqq570q5RDRX9lWqHtk4oqGa

http://zhidao.baidu.com/link?url=2ca1wNLBO8g1qIuTaRY3sE6mfm3xBV0RgDbQCQmJE0qu-MD0YKIsVuZ87P9UR2OopZtAmb6TLQkZZHHT3j98Bq

[skylee]

ewww ...

[Demonic_Duck]

My ex-girlfriend called me 臭臭, and my roommate's girlfriend also calls him that. As for terms of endearment for guys to call their girlfriends, I'm not so sure...

[roddy]

Given your medical background, abcdefg, perhaps she could be your 小病人?

[Meng Lelan]

Given your medical background, abcdefg, perhaps she could be your 小病人?

I'm going to throw up.

[abcdefg]

#14 -- Afraid that makes me nauseous too. No 小病人 for me, thanks very much.

I once heard a man addressing his girlfriend as 親愛的小麻雀.

I've heard 小燕子。

A saucy young twit used to call me 大笨蛋 several years back. She would tap on my head with her knuckles and proclaim 木头 with mock sadness.

[Meng Lelan]

I'd like to tweet that twit something about being more respectful to those who hold medical doctorates.

[abcdefg]

I liked her because she was so cheerily irreverent. She was fun to hang out with.

[tysond]

A girl I knew well in Singapore had a nickname of 臭, she used it in her MSN and so on.

It just doesn't seem to be as strong as calling someone smelly in English.

[淨土極樂]

The Chinese often use rather unpleasant (to Western ears) nicknames between close friends/lovers. The logic is, since we don't have to be polite, this means our relationship is really close.

The couples I know use 二妹 + 二哥, 猪婆 + 猪头, etc.

[Kenny同志]

http://bbs.tianya.cn...1087339-1.shtml

想了一夜告诉她叫我“外子”，我叫她“拙荆”，她听了差点没大耳光扇我。然后她建议叫我“笨牛”，叫她“至真至善无与伦比神仙二姐姐”（她排行老二）。

作者：纯良纤细老汉　回复日期：2008-1-3　11:12:28　

　　　　我一般称呼我妻子为相公

　　　　称呼我丈夫为娘子

　　＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋

　　绝倒！

哈哈！