How to speak gay in Shanghai

One of the most tolerant cities in China, Shanghai has a vibrant LGBT scene, with an equally lively vocabulary

Emperor Ai of the Han dynasty liked to swing both ways. Or so the story goes.

One afternoon after waking up from a nap next to his male concubine, Emperor Ai cut off his sleeve to get out of bed without disturbing his beloved's sleep. Kind of adorable, no?

Thus 'duanxiuzhipi' (斷袖之癖) or 'the passion of the cut sleeve' entered into the ancient Chinese vernacular as a euphemism for the love that dare not speak its name.

A couple millennia later, gay communities in China are more visible than ever and they still have a colorful lexicon.

Kenneth Tan, purveyor of men's lingerie and other racy wardrobe items at MANifesto, and Shanghai-based writer Xing Zhao, helped us compile the following list of essential terms for anyone looking to make a foray into Shanghai's LGBT scene.

There are also 'rice eaters,' 'sushi eaters' and more, depending on your cuisine of choice.

Tongzhi (同志)
n. Homosexual. Literally meaning 'comrade,' tongzhi was a term bandied about heavily during the Cultural Revolution. Today it's been appropriated by the gay community to refer to same-sex comrades in the bedroom.

Lala (拉拉)
n. Lesbian. A phonetic adaptation of the English term.

Niang (娘)
adj. Sissy or effeminate. e.g., "He's cute, but he's gone a bit heavy on the eyeliner. A bit 'niang' for my taste."

Chitudoude (吃土豆的)
adj. Literally meaning 'eats potatoes,' this refers to a gay Chinese person who has a case of white boy/girl fever, and thus tends to only date Caucasians. There are also 'rice eaters,' 'sushi eaters' and more, depending on your cuisine of choice. You get the idea.

Chugui (出柜)
v. To come out of the closet. 'Gui' literally means 'cupboard,' but we'll refrain from making food puns, for example, "Did you hear? That fine piece of potato is finally out of the cupboard." Oops, we just did.