情侣

• Pinyin: qíng lǚ
• Hanzi breakdown: 情 = 忄+ 青 (love/feeling); 侣 = 亻+ 吕 (companion/partner)

Meaning

A romantic couple; sweethearts. Two people in a loving relationship, typically before marriage or in the early stages of a committed partnership.

情侣装 (matching couple outfits), 情侣照 (couple photos), 情侣戒指 (couple rings) are popular collocations. More affectionate and specifically romantic than 伴侣 (life partner). Carries a youthful, tender connotation and is often associated with dating culture.

Examples

1. 节假日的商场里随处可见手牵手的情侣，沉浸在专属于彼此的温柔世界中。 During holidays, you can see couples holding hands everywhere in the mall, immersed in a gentle world that belongs only to them.
2. 他们穿着一套情侣装漫步于古城街巷，引来路人会心一笑的羡慕目光。 Wearing matching couple outfits, they strolled through the old city’s streets and alleys, drawing knowing smiles and envious looks from passersby.
3. 这对在大学相识的情侣，在毕业整整十年后终于携手步入了婚姻的殿堂。 This couple who met in college finally walked down the aisle together exactly ten years after graduation.

Usage Guide

Context: romance, social, lifestyle, media

Tone: warm

Do Say

• 公园长椅上，年轻情侣相依相偎，低声诉说着只属于彼此的悄悄话。(On a park bench, a young couple leaned against each other, whispering words that belonged only to the two of them.)
• 这家珠宝店设计了一系列情侣款戒指，成为年轻人表达爱意时最受欢迎的礼物之一。(This jewellery shop designed a range of couple rings, which became one of the most popular gifts among young people expressing their feelings.)

Don't Say

• 他们是一对情侣朋友 — use 恋人 or 男女朋友 to specify a romantic partner; 情侣 already implies a romantic couple, so adding 朋友 is redundant and creates awkward ambiguity

Origin & History

情 (love/feeling) + 侣 (companion/partner) — a companion bound by love

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal