单身汪

單身汪

dānshēnwāng

noun

Meanings

1 single person (used self-deprecatingly); 'single dog'

Characters

woof (dog bark sound)

Examples

HSK 7-9

情人节又是我们单身汪难过的一天。

Qíngrénjié yòu shì wǒmen dānshēnwāng nánguò de yī tiān.

Valentine's Day is another tough day for us 'single dogs.'

HSK 7-9

他自嘲说自己是资深单身汪。

Tā zìcháo shuō zìjǐ shì zīshēn dānshēnwāng.

He self-deprecatingly calls himself a senior 'single dog.'

Tips

culture

汪 imitates a dog's bark (汪汪 = woof woof). The slang began around 2014 on Chinese social media, riffing on 单身狗 (dānshēn gǒu, 'single dog') by replacing 狗 with the cuter, sound-symbolic 汪. Used jokingly and online, especially around 情人节 and 光棍节 (Singles' Day, 11/11).

register

Strictly internet/colloquial. Don't use it in formal writing. Self-deprecating only - calling someone else a 单身汪 can come off as teasing.

Stroke Order

单 dān

身 shēn

汪 wāng