# What's "tomboy" in Chinese (in the non-lesbian sense) **URL:** \ **Category:** Learning Chinese\ **Created:** [November 30, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223 "2009-11-30T07:11:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![maoman](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/maoman/32/702_2.png) [@maoman](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/maoman)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/1 "2009-11-30T07:11:01Z")
I know that lesbians in Taiwan are either “T” (for tomboy) or “P” (for po), but the word tomboy in English doesn’t seem to have the connotations of sexual orientation/gender identification. Is there a word in Chinese that fits the bill? ---
**Author:** ![tempogain](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/tempogain/32/264650_2.png) [@tempogain](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tempogain)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/2 "2009-11-30T07:12:55Z")
I hear “hen xiang nan sheng” a lot. Not a noun, but I can’t remember ever hearing such. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonbones](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/dragonbones/32/1125_2.png) [@Dragonbones](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Dragonbones)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:36am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/3 "2009-11-30T07:36:58Z")
nan2ren2po2 男人婆 is the noun. You also have the adjectives ‘hen3 nan2xing4hua4de’, literally masculinized, and zhong1xing4de or zhong1xing4hua4de (androgynous), which could both describe a girl who is not very feminine. ---
**Author:** ![maoman](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/maoman/32/702_2.png) [@maoman](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/maoman)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/4 "2009-11-30T07:39:54Z")
is it a pejorative? Would it sound weird in Chinese if one were to describe one’s own daughter as a “男人婆”? ---
**Author:** ![sandman](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sandman](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/sandman)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/5 "2009-11-30T07:41:17Z")
I’m not even sure they have such a thing in this land of conformity. Dressing up in that manner here is pretty much a statement rather than just a penchant for climbing trees, isn’t it? I’m not sure there’s a term at all for a non-homosexual tomboy. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonbones](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/dragonbones/32/1125_2.png) [@Dragonbones](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Dragonbones)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/6 "2009-11-30T07:46:06Z")
> [@Maoman](#): > > is it a pejorative? Would it sound weird in Chinese if one were to describe one’s own daughter as a “男人婆”? Dragonbabe was a real tomboy as a kid (in dress and behavior and still doesn’t wear dresses or like pink or Hello Kitty), and she was described as a 男人婆 as a kid. To my ears, that’s a compliment, but I’ve always been attracted to tomboys. I’m not sure to what extent some (traditional) people would consider it pejorative though; I think it is. I’ll ask her. ---
**Author:** ![maoman](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/maoman/32/702_2.png) [@maoman](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/maoman)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:47am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/7 "2009-11-30T07:47:31Z")
> [@sandman](#): > > I’m not even sure they have such a thing in this land of conformity. Dressing up in that manner here is pretty much a statement rather than just a penchant for climbing trees, isn’t it? I’m not sure there’s a term at all for a non-homosexual tomboy. Well see, that’s what I mean. I mean it in a “[Pippi Longstocking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippi_Longstocking)” sense of the word: tree-climbing, mischievous, athletic, etc. as opposed to “girlish” qualities like well-mannered, obedient, demure, etc. Clothing style/hairstyle doesn’t enter into it at all - it’s more of a personality thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonbones](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/dragonbones/32/1125_2.png) [@Dragonbones](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Dragonbones)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/8 "2009-11-30T08:14:20Z")
Dragonbabe confirms that it’s usually slightly pejorative, and you would not say it about someone’s daughter in front of them. “Basically it means that a girl isn’t behaving like a girl, and is somewhat troublesome like a boy.” ---
**Author:** ![trubadour](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/96bed5/32.png) [@trubadour](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/trubadour)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/9 "2009-11-30T12:35:46Z")
what about the very many young women who dress in a boy style? ---
**Author:** ![sjcma](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@sjcma](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/sjcma)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/10 "2009-11-30T13:54:23Z")
You can describe her as 男子氣 (manly, masculine). ---
**Author:** ![Juba](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Juba](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Juba)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/whats-tomboy-in-chinese-in-the-non-lesbian-sense/55223/11 "2009-12-01T18:22:54Z")
Xiao Li my Beijing sweetheart’s nickname was 假小子 jia xiaozi (pretend boy) but I don’t know whether it’s a known expression in Taiwan. An image search for the term turns up pictures like this: ![](http://www.0575page.com/uploadfile/UploadFile/200937142822293.jpg)