抛绣球 (pāo xiùqiú, 'throwing the embroidered ball') is a Zhuang ethnic-minority courtship game from Guangxi: at festivals an unmarried young woman tosses a brightly embroidered silk ball, and the young man who catches it is favoured for romance. The phrase has become a metaphor — 'to throw the ball at someone' = to make an opening or invitation.
