Do you like spicy Chinese food?

Key Learning Point (Preview):

辣 (là): adj. spicy/hot

Read this short conversation where Mike and John discuss a new colleague.

Wǒmen bùmén xīn lái le yíge nǚ tóngshì.
Mike: 我们      部门    新  来 了一个 女   同事。
There is a new woman colleague in our department.

Zěnmeyàng?
John:  怎么样？
What about her?

Tǐng huǒlà de.
Mike: 挺   火辣  的。
She is hot.

The Chinese character “辣 (là)” literally means spicy. In China, Sichuan province is famous for its spicy cuisine, for example, “火锅 (huǒguō) hotpot.” And it is said that Sichuan girls are beautiful and forthright. So people tend to call Sichuan girls “辣妹子 (làmèizi) spicy girls.” Particularly, the famous song “辣妹子 (làmèizi) Spicy Sisters” sang by Song Zuying made this term popular and people began to call pretty girls “辣妹 (làmèi).” When the pop group Spice Girls became a hit in China, the implications of “辣 (là)” widened. People now use it to describe girls who are beautiful and sexy. In English, the term is hot.

Besides “辣妹 (làmèi)”, you can also hear the phrase “辣妈 (làmā)” in Chinese. It refers to women who are beautiful and fashionable during their pregnancy as well as afterwards. Apart from taking good care of their babies, they don’t give up pursuing their own beauty and sense of fashion, and become more and more beautiful, such as Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie and so on.

Key Learning Point:

辣 (là): adj. spicy/hot

Examples:

Nǐ xǐhuan chī là de dōngxi ma?
Amy: 你  喜欢  吃 辣 的  东西   吗？
Do you like spicy food?

Dāngrán le, wǒ kěshì Sìchuān làmèizi.
Lana: 当然      了，我   可是    四川    辣妹子。
Of course, and I’m a spicy girl from Sichuan Province.

Wéiduōlìyà yuè lái yuè là le.
Lucy: 维多 利亚   越 来 越   辣了。
Victoria is hotter.

Shì ya, hěn yǒu làmā wèir.
Mary: 是 呀，很   有   辣妈  味儿。
Yea, she is a spice mom.

Chinese Popular Words (Fun Stuff)
General Chinese (Beginner Level)
General Chinese (Intermediate Level)