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Catch Phrase| 吸猫(xīmāo)

Writer:   | Editor: Stephanie Yang  | From:  | Updated: 2017-07-06

吸猫

Meaning:

“吸”means to inhale or breath,“猫”means cat.“吸猫”literally means for a person to put the nose right up against a cat’s fur and then smell its body odor. The phrase was created by Chinese netizens to refer to the extreme love the owners might feel towards their pet cats. Many cat owners often upload short videos of them kissing the faces or the paws of their cats, claiming that they are cat lovers. Thus, the phrase was invented to describe those actions of the owners and their affection towards cats.

Example:

A: 这是我的猫咪,看多可爱!

Zhèshì wǒde māomī,kàn duōkěài!

This is my kitty. Look how adorable he is!

B: 这是我家的主子,你看它嫌弃人那样子。

Zhèshì wǒjiāde zhǔzǐ,nǐ kàn tā xiánqìrén nà yàngzǐ。

This is my lord. Just see how arrogant he is.

C: 你们真是猫奴啊。喂,妖妖零吗?这里有一群不法猫奴聚众吸猫!

Nǐmen zhēnshì māonú ā。Wěi,yāoyāolíng ma?Zhèlǐ yǒu yīqún búfǎ māonú jùzhòng xīmāo!

You guys are really slaves of cats. Hello, is this 110? There are people harrassing cats! (Making a gesture with a hand to pretend to call 110 — the police — is a popular joke among Chinese netizens to express that they are creeped out by something.)

(First editor: Debra Li)