Romance tropes in Chinese 言情套路
yán qíng tàolù
Sweet romance in Chinese is 甜宠 (tián chǒng).
Also searched for as: love story tropes, romantic drama tropes, romance clichés, enemies to lovers, fake dating.
Sweet, slow-burn or heartbreaking: love on screen. 15 essential romance tropes 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.
Romance dramas are among the most-watched shows in Chinese, and fans have a name for every trope. 甜宠 (tián chǒng) means a sweet, angst-free romance, while 虐恋 (nüè liàn) promises tears. Classic set-ups include 青梅竹马 (qīng méi zhú mǎ), childhood sweethearts, and 先婚后爱 (xiān hūn hòu ài), marriage first and love later. When an episode is full of sweet moments, viewers say it's 撒糖 (sǎ táng), "sprinkling sugar".
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 甜宠 | tián chǒng | sweet romance (fluffy, no angst) |
| 虐恋 | nüè liàn | angsty, painful romance |
| 先婚后爱 | xiān hūn hòu ài | marriage first, love later |
| 青梅竹马 | qīng méi zhú mǎ | childhood sweethearts |
| 一见钟情 | yī jiàn zhōng qíng | love at first sight |
| 欢喜冤家 | huān xǐ yuān jia | bickering couple; enemies to lovers |
| 契约恋爱 | qì yuē liàn ài | contract relationship; fake dating |
| 暗恋 | àn liàn | to have a secret crush |
| 三角恋 | sān jiǎo liàn | love triangle |
| 双向奔赴 | shuāng xiàng bēn fù | both falling for each other; mutual effort |
| 破镜重圆 | pò jìng chóng yuán | getting back together after a break-up |
| 误会 | wù huì | misunderstanding; to misunderstand |
| 撒糖 | sǎ táng | to serve up sweet moments |
| 嗑CP | kē C P | to ship a couple |
| 大团圆 | dà tuán yuán | happy ending (everyone together) |
Usage tips
- Fans talk about sweetness as sugar: 撒糖 (sǎ táng) and 发糖 (fā táng) both mean serving up sweet scenes. 嗑CP (kē CP) is shipping a couple, from 嗑 (kē), to crack seeds between your teeth, a favourite snack while watching.
- Chinese audiences have long favoured a 大团圆 (dà tuán yuán) ending, where everyone is reunited. Online, fans also label endings HE (happy ending) or BE (bad ending), using the English letters.
- 青梅竹马 (qīng méi zhú mǎ), "green plums and bamboo horses", comes from an image in classical poetry of children playing together, yet it's still the everyday way to describe childhood sweethearts.
Common mistakes
- Learners say 我一见钟情他 (wǒ yī jiàn zhōng qíng tā), but 一见钟情 can't take an object. Put the person first with 对: 我对他一见钟情 (wǒ duì tā yī jiàn zhōng qíng).
- English speakers translate "enemies to lovers" word for word as 敌人变恋人, which isn't how fans talk. The usual term is 欢喜冤家 (huān xǐ yuān jia), a bickering pair who clearly belong together.
Mini dialogue
- A你喜欢甜宠剧还是虐恋剧？Nǐ xǐ huan tián chǒng jù hái shì nüè liàn jù?Do you prefer sweet romances or angsty ones?
- B当然是甜宠！我不想一边看一边哭。Dāng rán shì tián chǒng! Wǒ bù xiǎng yī biān kàn yī biān kū.Sweet ones, obviously! I don't want to cry all the way through.
- A那你一定会喜欢这部，男女主是青梅竹马。Nà nǐ yī dìng huì xǐ huan zhè bù, nán nǚ zhǔ shì qīng méi zhú mǎ.Then you'll love this one. The leads are childhood sweethearts.
- B太好了！结局是大团圆吗？Tài hǎo le! Jié jú shì dà tuán yuán ma?Great! Is it a happy ending?
- A放心，每集都在撒糖。Fàng xīn, měi jí dōu zài sǎ táng.Don't worry, every episode is full of sweet moments.
Example sentences
- 累了一天，我只想看甜宠剧。After a long day, I just want to watch a sweet romance.
- 这部虐恋剧看得我哭了好几次。This angsty romance made me cry several times.
- 先婚后爱是我最爱的套路。Marriage first, love later is my favourite trope.
- 他们俩是青梅竹马。The two of them are childhood sweethearts.
- 男主对女主一见钟情。The male lead falls for the heroine at first sight.
- 他们一开始是一对欢喜冤家。At first they're a bickering couple.
- 两个人开始了一段契约恋爱。The two of them start a fake relationship.
- 她暗恋男主好多年了。She's had a secret crush on the male lead for years.
- 我最讨厌三角恋的剧情。I hate love-triangle storylines.
- 双向奔赴的爱情最好看。Love stories where both people try are the best.
- 这种破镜重圆的结局太感人了。Endings where they get back together are so moving.
- 一个误会就能拖十集。One misunderstanding can drag on for ten episodes.
- 这一集一直在撒糖！This whole episode is just sweet moments!
- 我最近天天在网上嗑CP。I've been shipping couples online every day lately.
- 我就喜欢大团圆的结局。I just like happy endings.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Romance tropes speaking island has 8 everyday questions about romance tropes to prepare your own answers to.