朱砂痣

zhūshāzhì

noun

Measure Word

一颗朱砂痣 kē

Meanings

1 cinnabar mole (literal)
2 (figurative, romance) the unforgettable love one can never have / an idealized lost love

Characters

Examples

她是他心口的一颗朱砂痣。

Tā shì tā xīnkǒu de yì kē zhūshā zhì.

She is the cinnabar mole on his heart — his unforgettable love.

白月光和朱砂痣,到底哪个更难忘?

Bái yuèguāng hé zhūshā zhì, dàodǐ nǎge gèng nánwàng?

White moonlight or cinnabar mole — which is truly harder to forget?

Tips

culture

From Zhang Ailing's 1944 essay 《红玫瑰与白玫瑰》: every man has two women — one becomes 朱砂痣 (the passionate one you lost, a red mark on your heart), the other becomes 白月光 (the pure one you can't reach). Revived massively on Chinese social media as a romance trope.

Stroke Order

朱 zhū

砂 shā

痣 zhì