Leftover women in China speak their heart out “No house, no car, no bride”
Alia | March 11th, 2011 - 10:19 pm
Background: Leftover women, 剩女 (shengnv), a buzzword in China used to describe single or unmarried women over the age of 25 (the age threshold of being a leftover woman keeps lowering. It used to 30, now 25. But sometimes you will find girls around 20 claiming they are leftover women). There are different hierarchies of leftover women. Single women between 25 and 27 are the “fighters” (剩斗士, sheng dou shi), meaning that they still have the courage and energy to keep looking for true love. Women between 28 and 31 are the “doomed to be left” (必剩客, bi sheng ke, pronounced the same as Pizzahut in China), meaning that their chances of being ever married is very low and they are oftentimes too busy working to land a husband. Women between 32 and 36 are “leftover fighting Buddha” (斗战剩佛), meaning that they survive the cruel professional world but still remain single. Women of 36 and older are “leftover goddess” (齐天大剩).
Leftover women are not only single, not usually “three-high women”, too, – highly-educated, highly-paid and highly independent. The music video below is a song by leftover women. Their key message? If you want to marry me, get a car and a house.
Lyrics:
多情的阳光 洒落在你的脸庞
Warm sunshine falling on your face.
看看周围的小伙 个个都挺娘
Looking around and you find tons of girly-men
女人的渴望就是要有车和房
What a woman wants is a man with car and house
嫁对人是最大的愿望
Marrying Mr. Right is the ultimate dream
问你有没有车问你有没有房
Do you have a car, do you have a house
我妈妈她也问你存折有几张
My mom will also inquire the size of your savings account
假如你没有车 假如你也没有房
If you have no car, nor a house
赶紧靠边别把路来挡
Hurry off and don’t stand in my way
我也有车 我也有房
I also have a car, I also have a house
还有人民币在银行
As well as RMB in the bank
你们要是还没有我强
If you are not even as successful as I am
别吃软饭我不是你的娘
Don’t think of living off me, I am not your mom
你没有车 你没有房
If you have no car, nor a house
别想把美女泡上床
Don’t expect to hook up with any hotties
装穷哥你不就开个破宝马
No need to pretend to be poor, you only drive a BMW
别装大款你把我来包养
Don’t pretend to be rich, I am not your mistress
你没有车 你没有房
If you have no car, nor a house
你还想结婚当新郎
How can you expect to be a groom
如果你生活都没奔小康
If you are not yet established
凭什么我和你去流浪
Why should I stay unsettled with you
你说我现实我承认也无妨
You say I am pragmatic, that I admit
骂我拜金我也不受伤
Call me a money worshipper, I don’t care
男人总得有个男人的模样
A man should be what a man is meant to be
没车没房 你别想找新娘
No car, no house, no bride
悲催是永恒的
[...] Leftover women, single women aged 25+, are a unique segment of China’s evolving cultural scene and developing consumer market. Besides being single, leftover women are usually also “three-high women” – highly educated, highly paid and highly independent. They are troopers, and winners in many cases, in life, but as a recent article in Foreign Policy pointed out, they are also desperate to find Mr. Right. [...]
[...] but the more popular term in Chinese is “Left-over.” The following video features “Left-over women”(shengnv), the term describes women who are seen as being unmarriable. This is because of several [...]
[...] http://offbeatchina.com/leftover-women-in-china-speak-their-heart-out-no-house-no-car-no-bride [...]
I think women should be successful and educated so they don´t have to depend on men. I´d like to care for that special woman, the ¨” real amazing young amor” who live in Kunshan and stole my heart with a single look.
“ Leftover women are not only single, not usually “three-high women”, too, – highly-educated, highly-paid and highly independent”
Every man’s fantasy? :S
Absolutely not every Chinese man’s fantasy. Generally, Chinese men don’t want their girlfriend or wife to be more or as successful as them. They someone to look up to them.
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