Texting your crush in Chinese 跟暗恋对象聊天
gēn ànliàn duìxiàng liáotiān
Crush (the person you secretly like) in Chinese is 暗恋对象 (àn liàn duì xiàng).
Also searched for as: crush, texting a crush, messaging someone you like, left on read, what to text your crush.
Every message counts when it's them on the other end. 15 essential texting your crush 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.
Texting a crush in Chinese happens mostly on WeChat, and it comes with its own vocabulary of hope and anxiety. Your crush is your 暗恋对象 (àn liàn duì xiàng), a lightning-fast reply is 秒回 (miǎo huí), and being left on read is 已读不回 (yǐ dú bù huí). You'll also want words for the awkward bits, like 尬聊 (gà liáo), forced small talk, and the relief of a well-chosen 表情包 (biǎo qíng bāo).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 暗恋 | àn liàn | to have a secret crush on |
| 暗恋对象 | àn liàn duì xiàng | crush (person) |
| 秒回 | miǎo huí | to reply instantly |
| 已读不回 | yǐ dú bù huí | to leave on read |
| 不回消息 | bù huí xiāo xi | to not reply |
| 聊天记录 | liáo tiān jì lù | chat history |
| 表情包 | biǎo qíng bāo | sticker; meme |
| 在吗 | zài ma | you there? (opening message) |
| 晚安 | wǎn ān | good night |
| 找话题 | zhǎo huà tí | to find something to talk about |
| 尬聊 | gà liáo | awkward small talk |
| 嗯嗯 | èn èn | mm-hmm; uh-huh |
| 撤回 | chè huí | to unsend (a message) |
| 正在输入 | zhèng zài shū rù | typing... |
| 朋友圈 | péng you quān | WeChat Moments |
Usage tips
- Opening with just 在吗 (zài ma), "you there?", is widely seen as a weak start because it makes the other person reply before you've said anything. Lead with a real question or a 表情包 (biǎo qíng bāo) instead.
- Short replies carry a lot of meaning: 嗯嗯 (èn èn) or 哈哈哈 (hā hā hā) feels friendly, but a single 嗯 (èn) or 哦 (ò) can come across as cold or bored.
- WeChat lets you 撤回 (chè huí), unsend, a message for a short time, but the other person sees a notice that you did. Unsending a message to a crush often just makes them more curious.
Common mistakes
- 暗恋 (àn liàn) means a secret, unspoken crush, so it no longer fits once you've confessed or started dating. After that, simply say 喜欢 (xǐ huan).
- 已读不回 (yǐ dú bù huí) assumes read receipts, which WeChat chats don't show. On WeChat people usually just complain someone 不回消息 (bù huí xiāo xi); 已读不回 fits apps that show "read", such as LINE, popular in Taiwan.
Mini dialogue
- A他回你消息了吗？Tā huí nǐ xiāo xi le ma?Has he replied to you?
- B回了！而且是秒回！Huí le! Ér qiě shì miǎo huí!He has! And he replied instantly!
- A太好了！你们聊什么了？Tài hǎo le! Nǐ men liáo shén me le?Great! What did you talk about?
- B一开始有点尬聊，后来他给我发了个表情包，还跟我说晚安。Yī kāi shǐ yǒu diǎn gà liáo, hòu lái tā gěi wǒ fā le ge biǎo qíng bāo, hái gēn wǒ shuō wǎn ān.It was a bit awkward at first, but then he sent me a sticker and said good night.
- A看来他对你也有意思！Kàn lái tā duì nǐ yě yǒu yì si!Looks like he's into you too!
Example sentences
- 我暗恋他三年了。I've had a secret crush on him for three years.
- 我的暗恋对象回我消息了！My crush replied to my message!
- 他每次都秒回我。He always replies to me instantly.
- 她又已读不回了。She's left me on read again.
- 他怎么一直不回消息？Why does he keep not replying?
- 我把聊天记录看了好几遍。I've reread our chat history loads of times.
- 他给我发了个可爱的表情包。He sent me a cute sticker.
- 别一上来就发“在吗”。Don't open with just "You there?".
- 每天睡前他都跟我说晚安。He says good night to me before bed every day.
- 我不知道怎么找话题。I never know what to talk about.
- 我们昨天尬聊了半小时。We had half an hour of awkward chat yesterday.
- 她只回了一个“嗯嗯”。She only replied "mm-hmm".
- 她发了一条消息又撤回了。She sent a message and then unsent it.
- 看到“正在输入”，我好紧张。Seeing "typing..." makes me so nervous.
- 我每天偷偷看他的朋友圈。I secretly check his Moments every day.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Texting your crush speaking island has 8 everyday questions about texting your crush to prepare your own answers to.