Have you heard of the emerging and trendy internet slang from China called “土味情话 (tǔwèi qínghuà) ”? It can be compared to “cheesy pick-up lines” in English. “土味 (tǔwèi)” usually means outdated or old-school, while “情话 (qínghuà)” refers to the sweet nothings shared between lovers. Thus it’s a funny way to flirt with your partner while expressing your affection as well. These lines can be sounded insincere and excessively sweet, they tend to flatter people or flirt with people too.
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Generally, “情话 (qínghuà)” refers to the words that people love to hear but if someone says something to you that may be excessively sweet or even a little bit disgusting and corny (or cheesy words told to the loved one), you can say what he said is “土味情话 (tǔwèi qínghuà)”.
Here are some conversational examples about how to use the phrase “土味情话 (tǔwèi qínghuà)” in daily Chinese:
Tā zǒngshì ài shuō tǔwèi qínghuà.
他总是爱说土味情话。
He always likes to say cheesy pick-up lines.
Wǒ bù xǐhuān tā de tǔwèi qínghuà.
我不喜欢他的土味情话。
I don’t like his cheesy pick-up lines.
Usually, young men will use these sweet and romantic sentences to pursue a girl and try to win her heart.
Lǐ Míng: Wǒ kěyǐ xiàng nǐ wènlù ma?
李明：我可以向你问路吗？
Li Ming: May I ask you the way?
Wáng Hóng: Nǐ yào qù nǎlǐ ？
王红：你要去哪里？
Wang Hong: Which way?
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Lǐ Míng: Qù nǐ xīnlǐ.
李明：去你心里。
Li Ming: The way to your heart.
Not cheesy enough for you? What about this next one?
Xiǎo Wáng: Nǐ yǒu dǎhuǒjī ma?
小王：你有打火机吗？
Xiao Wang: Do you have a lighter?
Xiǎo Hóng: Méiyǒu.
小红：没有。
Xiao Hong: No.
Xiǎo Wáng: Nà nǐ shì zěnme diǎnrán wǒ de xīn de?
小王：那你是怎么点燃我的心的？
Xiao Wang: Then how did you manage to set my heart on fire?
There is one thing to note about this slang expression. You can use the phrase “土味情话 (tǔwèi qínghuà)” to make fun of people who like to say excessively sweet nothing but when someone talks to you sincerely, you’d better avoid using this phrase to describe their efforts because it may break their heart. With that being said, we’d love to hear your best pick-up line. Write it in the comments or send it directly to one of our social media accounts.
1. Please choose the option which makes Zhang Ming’s reply fit the “cheesy pick-up line”.
Zhāng Míng: Nǐ zhīdào wǒ wèishénme gǎnmào le ma?
张明：你知道我为什么感冒了吗?
Lǐ Lì: Wǒ bù zhīdào, wèishénme ne?
李莉：我不知道，为什么呢？
Zhāng Míng: ▁▁▁
张明：▁▁▁
A：因为我昨天淋雨了。(Yīnwèi wǒ zuótiān línyǔ le.)
B：因为我被小红传染了。(Yīnwèi wǒ bèi Xiǎo Hóng chuánrǎn le.)
C：因为我对你完全没有抵抗力。(Yīnwèi wǒ duì nǐ wánquán méiyǒu dǐkàng lì.)
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