Long-distance relationships in Chinese 异地恋
yìdì liàn
Long-distance relationship in Chinese is 异地恋 (yì dì liàn).
Also searched for as: long distance relationship, LDR, long-distance love, missing someone far away, international relationship.
Love across cities, countries and time zones. 15 essential long-distance relationships words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
A long-distance relationship in Chinese is 异地恋 (yì dì liàn), literally "different-place love", and when the distance crosses borders it becomes 异国恋 (yì guó liàn). The vocabulary is full of the practical side of missing someone: 时差 (shí chā), the time difference, nightly 视频 (shì pín) calls, plane tickets and high-speed trains, and the 倒计时 (dào jì shí), the countdown until you're finally in the same city.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 异地恋 | yì dì liàn | long-distance relationship |
| 异国恋 | yì guó liàn | international long-distance relationship |
| 时差 | shí chā | time difference |
| 视频 | shì pín | to video call |
| 想你了 | xiǎng nǐ le | I miss you |
| 见面 | jiàn miàn | to meet up; to see each other |
| 机票 | jī piào | plane ticket |
| 高铁 | gāo tiě | high-speed train |
| 接机 | jiē jī | to pick someone up at the airport |
| 倒计时 | dào jì shí | countdown |
| 距离 | jù lí | distance |
| 信任 | xìn rèn | trust |
| 熬 | áo | to hang in there; to endure |
| 同一个城市 | tóng yī ge chéng shì | the same city |
| 没有安全感 | méi yǒu ān quán gǎn | insecure |
Usage tips
- 视频 (shì pín) means "video" but is often used as a verb for video calling: 我们视频吧 (wǒ men shì pín ba), "let's video call". The fuller form is 打视频电话 (dǎ shì pín diàn huà).
- 熬 (áo) literally means to simmer for a long time, and it's used for getting through a hard stretch: 再熬一熬 (zài áo yī áo), "hang in there a bit longer". It also appears in 熬夜 (áo yè), staying up late, which time differences make very familiar.
- 接机 (jiē jī) means meeting someone at the airport, and the opposite is 送机 (sòng jī), seeing them off. At a train station, say 接站 (jiē zhàn).
Common mistakes
- Learners say 我想念你 (wǒ xiǎng niàn nǐ) in casual chat, which sounds formal and literary. Between partners, 我想你了 (wǒ xiǎng nǐ le) is the natural way to say "I miss you".
- 异地 (yì dì) means a different city or region, not necessarily abroad. If you're in different countries, 异国恋 (yì guó liàn) is more precise.
Mini dialogue
- A宝贝，我想你了。Bǎo bèi, wǒ xiǎng nǐ le.Babe, I miss you.
- B我也是。你那边几点了？Wǒ yě shì. Nǐ nà biān jǐ diǎn le?Me too. What time is it there?
- A早上七点。时差太难受了。Zǎo shang qī diǎn. Shí chā tài nán shòu le.Seven in the morning. The time difference is awful.
- B再熬一个月就好了，我已经买好机票了。Zài áo yī ge yuè jiù hǎo le, wǒ yǐ jīng mǎi hǎo jī piào le.Just one more month to get through. I've already bought my plane ticket.
- A太好了！我一定去接机。Tài hǎo le! Wǒ yī dìng qù jiē jī.Brilliant! I'll definitely come and meet you at the airport.
Example sentences
- 我们谈了两年异地恋。We were long-distance for two years.
- 异国恋最难的是时差。The hardest thing about an international relationship is the time difference.
- 我们有七个小时的时差。There's a seven-hour time difference between us.
- 我们每天晚上都视频。We video call every night.
- 宝贝，我想你了。Babe, I miss you.
- 我们好久没见面了。We haven't seen each other in ages.
- 为了见他，我又买了机票。I've bought yet another plane ticket to see him.
- 我每个周末坐高铁去看她。I take the high-speed train to see her every weekend.
- 下周你来接机吗？Will you pick me up at the airport next week?
- 我在倒计时，还有十天见面！I'm counting down: ten more days till we meet!
- 距离不是问题。Distance isn't a problem.
- 异地恋最重要的是信任。Trust is the most important thing in a long-distance relationship.
- 再熬几个月我们就能在一起了。Just a few more months and we'll be together.
- 我们终于在同一个城市了！We're finally in the same city!
- 异地恋让我很没有安全感。Long distance makes me feel really insecure.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Long-distance relationships speaking island has 8 everyday questions about long-distance relationships to prepare your own answers to.