Today I will let you look behind the curtains of Found in Translation and reveal a couple of my secrets to success. #1 The most popular topics so far have come either from some beer/cocktail enhanced converstions or from the chilled state of mind that comes after a drinking session.
And #2, every time I write an episode that goes viral, I get pretty worried about what to write next so that my readers don't get disappointed. That's why I started conducting polls among some of the most creative minds I know. Fortunately one of them attended the same gathering where Found in translation was famously renamed (see the last episode) and I didn't hesitate to badger her for a few thoughts. And that was the right decision because the answer came pretty fast – 'gay talk – go!' And I did!Rachel, after all, did contribute to my most notorious episode about the „Green Tea Bitches” a few months ago, so I might as well listen to her again! Besides, I realize that all my articles imply a straight girl's perspective, but a good writer should strive to relate with an ever greater swath of her audience!
So after a few days of wechat research, interviews, and polls, here are the basics of Chinese gay talk.
1) 同性恋 tóng xìng liàn
Official and simple Chinese counterpart of the English 'homosexual'
However, who cares about official words? And to be honest with you, I have never been able to remember it though it definitely is somewhere in my Mandarin class notebook.
2) 名媛 míng yuán
shorter and much more fun expression and the literal meaning is 'debutant'
This word is like a mix of gao fu shuai and tuhao because it describes the 'sexy and he knows it' 'tall,rich and handsome' gay guy – the one whose face opens the doors of the most fancy clubs in town and whose tuhao status shines through every detail of his outfit. If you are one of the very few who dare to be unaware and ask 'who is that guy?' than better become wechat friends immediately or your social status will put itself on the plank!
3) 玻璃 bōli – 'glass'
''Before it used to be a very lovely word' one of my interviewees said. Just where is the connection? The explanation seems very 'simple' - 'bōli' is the 'variant' of BL which means 'boys love'.Enough said.
4) 姐 姐 jiě jiě or妹 妹 mèi mèi
This is 'inner circle' talk, reserved for close gay friends who would call one another 'older' or younger 'sister'.However! Not all gay guys are fans of this one because it makes them feel 'too gay'. It was explained to me like this: 'I'm gay but I am still a man, so why should people feel I am feminine?'.Hmmm, fair enough.
5) 小攻 xiǎogōng (top) and 小受 xiǎoshòu (bottom)
One advantage gay couples hold over heterosexual ones might be that they set some rules clearly from the very beginning so they avoid misunderstandings later on! And these two words are key. When gay guys look for a new 'movie watching' partner on Grindr, it must be agreed from the word 'go' who is xiǎogōng - top and xiǎoshòu – bottom. Sometimes, they are replaced with ...numbers, with 1 for xiǎogōng and 0 for xiǎoshòu.When I asked why, it was explained like this: 'Because some Chinese people don't speak good English so it is much more simple to use it' .I guess it is for international 'purposes' when dealing with foreigners whose Chinese isn't the best either..
Of course these are not all the names, but the most up-to-date ones.My source for today's topic told me that there are 'too many words' for gay people but he uses just a few, and that's why I included them here.Obviously you might say that my research is not reliable if it comes from one person and some internet forums. Yet, trust me – every time I look for contributors, I make sure they are the best possible representatives of a class.This column is supposed to be educational and I am fully aware of this responsibility.It is all about helping you flourish as humans on this beautiful planet China through communication and understanding – whether it is bitch, sex or 'glass' department – wherever isyour will,I will help you find the way!