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Key Learning Points (Preview):

电灯泡 (diàndēngpào): n. an unwanted guest, or “third wheel”  
  
剩男剩女 (shèngnán shèngnǚ): n. men and women who were born in the 70s’, and still haven’t got married.    

Speed dating has come into fashion recently, in China, due to the large number of “剩男剩女 (shèngnán shèngnǚ), men and women who are born in the seventies, and still haven’t got married.” The standards and expectations continue to rise, when they choose a mate. They believe it may depend on “缘分 (yuánfèn) destiny” whether they can “一见钟情 (yījiàn zhōngqíng) fall in love at first sight.” Of course, a “电灯泡 (diàndēngpào) third wheel will prove to be a burden.”

“闪电约会 (Shăndiàn yuēhuì) Speed dating” means getting to know your partner as fast as possible, when on a date. “闪电 (shăndiàn)” means lightning. Here, it’s used as a metaphor to depict how fast and sudden that something is happening. For instance, “闪婚 (shănhūn),” which is short for “闪电结婚 (shăndiàn jiéhūn), flash marriage,” and you also can say “闪电恋爱 (shăndiàn liàn’ài), a whirlwind romance.”

Key Learning Points:

电灯泡(diàndēngpào) n. 1. an electric light bulb
                                          2. an unwanted guest or “third wheel”  
                                           

Chinese people compare “电灯泡 (diàndēngpào),” an electric light bulb, to the third wheel on a date. Here “电灯泡 (diàndēngpào)” is like a useless “third wheel,” which is a disturbance to the newly-introduced couple.

Example:
    Zuówăn nǐ hé Wáng Qiáng, Lǐ Méi zài yìqǐ?  Nà zhēn gòu gān’gà de.
A:  昨晚     你 和    王      强、  李  梅  在 一起？那  真     够    尴尬   的。  
      
    Were you with Wang Qiang and Li Mei last night? That’s pretty awkward.

    Wŏ cái bùxiăng dāng diàndēngpào ne.  Wŏ zhǐshì zài jiēshàng yùdào le tāmen.
B: 我   才   不想      当         电灯泡       呢。我    只是   在  街上       遇到   了  他们。
      
    Well, I didn’t intend to be the third wheel. I just met them on the street.

剩男剩女 (shèngnán shèngnǚ): n. men and women who were born in the 70s’, and still haven’t got married.    

Example:

Xiāngqīn zài shèngnán shèngnǚ zhōng hĕn liúxíng.
  相亲      在       剩男         剩女      中    很    流行。    
Blind dates are very popular among the single men and women who are about thirty years old.


Vocabulary:

缘分 (yuánfèn) n. destiny    
一见钟情 (yījiàn zhōngqíng) fall in love at first sight    
闪电 (shăndiàn) n. lightning    
闪电结婚 (shăndiàn jiéhūn) n. flash marriage    
闪电恋爱 (shăndiàn liàn’ài) n. a whirlwind romance