Couple Behind Blue Circle With Heart

35 Chinese Pick Up Lines and Compliments for Flirty Conversation Starters

So, you’ve been traveling a little around China.

You’ve made a few local friends and perhaps even found a language partner.

Now you want to know how to score a few dates, and eventually find a nice Chinese girlfriend or boyfriend.

It’s the natural next step, right?

If you’re coming from the Western world, where pick up lines abound and people are actually receptive to them—at least, to a certain extent—you’ll need to adjust your game for breaking the ice and flirting in Mandarin Chinese.

Let’s start out with the basics.

Contents

Do Pick Up Lines Exist in Mandarin Chinese?

Pick up lines are very much a Western phenomenon and, as such, they’re pretty uncommon in China. In general, what we think of as “pick up lines” are probably best avoided—even the wittiest examples. 

Most male-female relationships in China are founded on plain, simple and polite introductions.

These restrictions don’t entirely apply to foreigners who, as outsiders, are able to flout the rules of social behavior to a certain degree.

My advice is to avoid cheesy pick up lines—known in Chinese as  泡妞术语 (pào niū shù yǔ)—or hitting on people, which is referred to in Chinese as  搭讪 (dā shàn).

Chinese Compliments as Pick Up Lines

Giving someone a compliment is generally a safe way to start a conversation. You can get flirty with one of these compliments:

Cheesy Chinese Pick Up Lines

As mentioned before, Chinese pick up lines aren’t the type you might think of when you think of English pick up lines. That said, you can translate some fun cheesy English pick up lines into Chinese and give them a try.

Phrases for Flirting in Chinese

Flirting in Chinese, as in any language, involves expressing romantic interest and creating a playful, engaging atmosphere.

As we already saw, compliments make a great way to flirt in Chinese:

你的笑容真迷人。 (nǐ de xiào róng zhēn mí rén.) — Your smile is truly charming.

你的眼睛像星星一样明亮。 (nǐ de yǎn jīng xiàng xīng xing yí yàng míng liàng.) — Your eyes are as bright as stars.

You can also express interest in the person you’re talking to:

你喜欢什么样的活动? (nǐ xǐ huān shén me yàng de huó dòng?) — What kind of activities do you like?

我想更加了解你。 (wǒ xiǎng gèng jiā liǎo jiě nǐ.) — I want to know you better.

Light teasing can be another cute way to flirt with someone you know a bit better (to avoid any hurt feelings):

你是不是变魔法了?每次看到你,其他人都不见了。 (nǐ shì bú shì biàn mó fǎ le? měi cì kàn dào nǐ, qí tā rén dōu bú jiàn le.) — Did you use magic? Every time I see you, everyone else disappears.

你是不是偷走了所有的星星?因为这里好像失去了光芒。 (nǐ shì bú shì tōu zǒu le suǒ yǒu de xīng xīng? yīn wèi zhè lǐ hǎo xiàng shī qù le guāng máng.) — Did you steal all the stars? Because it seems like the light is missing here.

And finally, a playful invitation can land you a date!

我们一起去喝咖啡吧? (wǒ men yì qǐ qù hē kā fēi ba?) — How about we go for coffee together?

你愿意和我一起去看电影吗? (nǐ yuàn yì hé wǒ yì qǐ qù kàn diàn yǐng ma?) — Would you like to go see a movie with me?

Remember, the key to successful flirting is to be genuine, respectful and attentive to the other person’s comfort level. Use these phrases with a light and playful tone, adapting them to the specific context and your own personality. Plus, be receptive to the other person’s cues and respond accordingly.

I also recommend that you find examples of Chinese pick up lines in use by native Chinese speakers, like through the videos on FluentU.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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Get out there and get your flirt on with these Chinese pick up lines!

And One More Thing...

If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.

FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.

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FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.

The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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