Are you noticing love ornaments and decorations in every corner of the city? Perhaps are you receiving special love gestures lately? This is because the Chinese are celebrating 七夕节 (qī xī jié). Curious what does this mean? Find out more below!
七夕节(qī xī jié) or better known as the Double-Seventh Festival / Qixi Festival / Magpie Festival is a Chinese Valentine’s Day based on a very old myth that is celebrated on July 7th of the Lunar Calendar each year.
There are many variations of this story, but simply put it tells of a young cow herder (牛郎 niú láng) who is separated from his true love, a weaver maiden (织女 zhīnǚ), by a silver river. Luckily on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, they are rejoined when magpies form a bridge to allow the lovers be reunited.
To celebrate this day, people usually eat 巧果 (qiǎo guǒ), a fried thin pastry snack made out of oil, flour, and sugar, that symbolizes people’s wish for everlasting love.
Do you want to express your feelings but don’t know how to say it? Here are some phrases that might be helpful for you!
我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ = I love you
我喜欢你 wǒ xǐ huān nǐ = I like you
你让我疯狂 nǐ ràng wǒ fēng kuáng = I’m crazy about you
我对你感兴趣 wǒ duì nǐ gǎn xìng qù = I’m interested in you
我好想你 wǒ hǎo xiǎng nǐ = I miss you so much
我暗恋你 wǒ àn liàn nǐ wǒ ài shàng nǐ le = I have a crush on you
我爱上你了 wǒ ài shàng nǐ le = I’m in love with you
你是我喜欢的类型 nǐ shì wǒ xǐ huān de lèi xíng = You’re just my type
我喜欢和你在一起 wǒ xǐ huān hé nǐ zài yī qǐ = I like being with you
Show your love more expressively with these phrases!
- 我就是喜欢这样的你 wǒ jiù shì xǐ huān zhè yàng de nǐ = I like you just the way you are
- 我脑海里都是你 wǒ nǎo hǎi lǐ dōu shì nǐ = I can’t stop thinking about you
- 没有你我活不下去 méi yǒu nǐ wǒ huó bù xià qù = I can’t live without you
- 余生请多指教 yú shēng qǐng duō zhǐ jiào = Let’s grow old together
- 你让我想成为更好的人 nǐ ràng wǒ xiǎng chéng wéi gèng hǎo de rén = I want to be a better person for you
- 愿得一人心，白首不相离 yuàn dé yī rén xīn ， bái shǒu bù xiāng lí = To have and to hold, until we’re gray and old
- 在我眼里你是最美的 zài wǒ yǎn lǐ nǐ shì zuì měi de = To me, you are the most beautiful person
- 爱你，是我做过的最好的事 ài nǐ ， shì wǒ zuò guò de zuì hǎo de shì = Loving you is the best thing I’ve done
- 你就是我的全世界 nǐ jiù shì wǒ de quán shì jiè = You are my world
- 你只属于我 nǐ zhǐ shǔ yú wǒ = You belong to me
- 我的心里只有你 wǒ de xīn lǐ zhǐ yǒu nǐ = You are the only one in my heart
- 执子之手，与子偕老 zhí zǐ zhī shǒu ， yǔ zǐ xié lǎo = I promise to grow old together with you
- 太阳升起只是为了看到你的微笑 tài yáng shēng qǐ zhǐ shì wèi le kàn dào nǐ de wēi xiào = The sun rises just to see your smile
Chinese people also use numerical slangs to express their feelings as the pronounciations often resonate with the words. Let’s look at some examples!
520 (五二零 wǔ èr líng = 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ）= I love you
530 (五三零 wǔ sān líng = 我想你 wǒ xiǎng nǐ）= I miss you
770 (七七零 qī qī líng = 亲亲你 qīn qīn nǐ）= Kiss you
880 (八八零 bā bā líng = 抱抱你 bào bào nǐ）= Hug you
1314 (一三一四 yī sān yī sì = 一生一世 yī shēng yī shì）= Forever
5201314 (五二零一三一四 wǔ èr líng yī sān yī sì = 我爱你一生一世 wǒ ài nǐ yī shēng yī shì）= I’ll love you forever
Do you feel like these phrases are too basic? Level up your game with these pick up lines!
除了当美女, 你还有别的爱好吗？
Chú le dāng měinǚ, nǐ háiyǒu bié de àihǎo ma？
Apart from being beautiful, what do you do for a living?
我的眼睛一定是出什么问题了，我没办法把眼睛从你身上移开。
Wǒ de yǎnjīng yīdìng shì chū shénme wèntíle, wǒ méi bànfǎ bǎ yǎnjīng cóng nǐ shēnshang yí kāi.
There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can’t take them off you.
你是太阳吗？因为我绕着你转
Nǐ shì tài yáng ma? yīn wèi wǒ rào zhe nǐ zhuǎn
Are you the sun? Because I’m stuck orbiting around you.
你是月亮吗？因为我被你的光芒吸引
Nǐ shì yuè liàng ma? yīn wèi wǒ bèi nǐ de guāng máng xī yǐn
Are you the moon? Because I am attracted to your glow.
你是奶茶吗？因为你是我的最爱，每天都想要
Nǐ shì nǎi chá má ？ yīn wéi nǐ shì wǒ de zuì ài ， měi tiān dū xiǎng yào
Are you milk tea? Because you’re my favorite, and I want you every day.
你有地图吗？因为我在你的眼神中迷失了
Nǐ yǒu dì tú ma? yīn wèi wǒ zài nǐ de yǎn shén zhōng mí shī le
Do you have a map? Because I am lost in your eyes.
我有点害怕你。害怕你偷走我的心
Wǒ yǒu diǎn hài pà nǐ 。 hài pà nǐ tōu zǒu wǒ de xīn
I am a little afraid of you. Afraid you will steal my heart.
未來的日子，我想和你一房二人三餐四季
Wèi lái de rì zǐ ，wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ yī fáng èr rén sān cān sì jì
In the future, I want to share a house with you, two people, three meals for four seasons.
你是磁铁吗？要不然为什么你会这么吸引我。
Nǐ shì cítiě ma? Yàoburán wèishénme nǐ huì zhème xīyǐn wǒ.
Are you a magnet? Why do you attract me so much?
When learning these phrases, do you have someone in your mind? Why not try say it directly to them? Perhaps they will fall deeper for you!
“祝福您在七夕节度过充满爱与浪漫的美好时刻。”
Zhù fú nín zài Qī xī jié dù guò chōng mǎn ài yǔ làng màn de měi hǎo shí kè.
Wishing you a Qixi Festival filled with love, romance, and beautiful moments.
Curious to learn more? We’ve got you covered! Mandarin Inn offers Chinese classes, where you can get yourselves immersed in both the language and culture! Sign up for a free trial class or cultural workshops at Mandarin Inn by scanning the QR code below!
