Single? Not for Long With These 10 Alternative Ways to Say "I Love You" in Chinese

Bored with saying the usual 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ)? This Single's Day, surprise your soon-to-be lover with these alternative ways of expressing your heartfelt emotions. Who knows, the shock of hearing you riff on love using colloquial terms may just be enough for you to conquer that special someone's heart.

10 alternative ways to say "I love you" in Chinese

520
Perhaps the most common of the bunch, 520 is how the cool kids express their love for each other because 520 in Chinese, 五二零 wǔ èr líng, sounds a little like wǒ ài nǐ. If you don't get it, try mumbling.

1314
Short for "one life one death," this combination of numbers is used to mean "forever." The combination can also be combined with the phrase above to mindboggling effect: 5201314, meaning "I love you forever."

爱老虎油
This one is pretty easy to decipher, just say 爱老虎油 ài lǎohǔ yóu out loud. 

撒浪嘿呦
Similar to the last one, these characters (撒浪嘿呦 sā làng hēi yōu) are pronounced in the same way as "I love you" but this time in Korean (sarang heyo).

我爱你胜过一切
If "I love you" just won't cut it anymore, you can up your game with the phrase 我爱你胜过一切 wǒ ài nǐ shèngguò yīqiè. Meaning "I love you more than anything," we advise you to save this one for when you're really trying to impress.

Express your love, Beijing style

If you're looking for a more original way to say "I love you," these Beijing-specific phrases may just do the trick. Just hope that your wooing partner hasn't read this blog, because that would be a little awkward.

I love you more than Trump loves bronzer.
我爱你胜过川普爱美黑乳。Wǒ ài nǐ shèngguò chuānpǔ ài měihēirǔ. 
A seriously large amount. More than any Geordie girl we know. We wonder where he gets his goods because Dior certainly doesn't make that shade.

My love for you is beyond index.
我对你的爱无以言表。Wǒ duì nǐ de ài wúyǐyánbiǎo.
Yup, off the charts. You make my head spin more than soupy smog on a red alert day.

I love you more than 99 iPhones.
我爱你胜过99个爱疯。Wǒ ài nǐ shèngguò 99 gè àifēng.
Remember that boob who proposed to his girlfriend with the 99 iPhones? Don't be that guy.

Not even the Seventh Ring Road is big enough to contain my love for you.
连7环路都装不下我对你的爱。Lián qihuánlù dōu zhuāngbúxià wǒ duì nǐ de ài.
That's a lot of love... specifically, 940 kilometers of it.

I love you more than half-price burrito night at Q Mex.
我爱你胜过Q Mex的半价墨西哥卷。Wǒ ài nǐ shèngguò Q Mex de bànjià mòxīgē juǎn.
We love burritos. A lot.

And a bonus phrase for good measure... Roses are red, violets are blue, I love you more than a big tanghulu. 
玫瑰是红的，紫罗兰是蓝的，我爱你胜过爱大糖葫芦。Méiguī shì hóng de, zǐ luó lán shì lánde, wǒ ài nǐ shèngguò ài dà tánghúlú.

Happy Single's Day, Beijing!

READ: 5 Easy Ways to Resist Single's Day Consumer Brainwashing

Photo: Debby Hudson (via Unsplash)