包二奶

bāoèrnǎi

verb

Meanings

1 to keep a mistress
2 to cohabit with and financially support a mistress

Characters

to keep; wrap; retain

milk; (here) woman

Examples

他被发现在外面包二奶。

Tā bèi fāxiàn zài wàimiàn bāo èrnǎi.

He was discovered keeping a mistress on the side.

包二奶现象在某些富人圈子里曾经很普遍。

Bāo èrnǎi xiànxiàng zài mǒu xiē fùrén quānzi lǐ céngjīng hěn pǔbiàn.

The phenomenon of keeping mistresses was once common in certain wealthy circles.

Tips

culture

二奶 (èrnǎi) literally 'second wife / second milk-giver' is the woman; 包 here means 'to keep on retainer' (same 包 as in 包养). The term became a 1990s-2000s tabloid fixture in southern China and Hong Kong, often involving cross-border arrangements with women living in Shenzhen or Dongguan.

register

Colloquial and judgmental — never neutral. Closer to English 'kept woman' framing than 'mistress'. Don't use in formal writing; the legal/journalistic term is 包养情妇.

Stroke Order

包 bāo

二 èr

奶 nǎi