If one day, one of your friends tells you that he or she is going to “裸婚(luǒhūn),” don’t be tricked by the phrase’s literal meaning of “naked wedding.” There’s no need to worry if you don’t know what the term actually means, because today we are going to cover all the interesting uses of “裸(luǒ).” Afterwards, there will be no confusion when you hear it in the future.
“裸(luǒ)” is an adjective that means exposed and uncovered. However, over time the word “裸(luǒ)” has taken on some new meanings when used in conjunction with other certain words.
裸婚
“裸婚(luǒhūn)” literally means “naked wedding.” It refers to getting married without any frills like first purchasing a house, car, ring or even holding a wedding ceremony. It is used both as a noun and as a verb. It refers to a kind of simple marriage in which the new couple skips the traditional ceremony and customs by getting their marriage license directly.
Examples
Mary: Qīn’àide, wǒmen jiéhūn ba?
Mary：亲 爱的，我们 结婚 吧？
Mary: Honey, should we get married?
Mike: Méi fáng méi chē, méi zuànjiè. “Luǒhūn” nǐ yuànyì ma?
Mike：没 房 没 车、没 钻戒。 “裸婚” 你 愿意 吗？
Mike: No house, no car, no ring. Are you alright with a “naked wedding”?
Mary: Wǒ yuànyì.
Mary：我 愿意。
Mary: Yes, I am.
Rúguǒ nǐ zhēnde ài wǒ, zánmen jiù luǒhūn ba!
如果 你 真的 爱 我，咱们 就 裸婚 吧！
If you really love me, let’s get married without buying a house, a car, a ring or a wedding!
In modern China, the age range of those young people who are enthusiastic to “裸婚(luǒhūn)” is generally 20 to 30 years old, most of whom belong to the post 80’s generation. There are mainly two reasons for their choice. On the one hand, it is because of heavy living pressure, such as that caused by the rising costs of housing and commodities. On the other hand, many modern people emphasize the freedom and independence of marriage. They pursue “genuine love” not influenced by material conditions, and they also care less about the traditionally significant wedding. As a result, “裸婚(luǒhūn)” has become the most fashionable marriage option among the post 1980’s generation. Also, the rise of “裸婚(luǒhūn)” has brought many related films and television shows, such as Naked Wedding (《裸婚时代》).
裸机
Generally, “裸机(luǒjī)” means hardware-only computers or phones. It refers to computers without operating systems or other software installed. It can also be used to describe phones that do not have a network subscription.
Example
Wǒ de shǒujī shì yíbù luǒjī.
我 的 手机 是 一部 裸机。
My phone isn’t connected to a network.
“裸考(luǒkǎo)” refers to taking an exam without any preparation. People often use it to describe a kind of attitude towards exams. For example, a student may not care about the exam because it doesn’t matter whether he can pass it or not, or he might think the exam is just a piece of cake. Alternatively, a student might assume he is destined to fail, so he thinks it isn’t worth the time or energy to prepare for it.
Examples
Lǐhuá zuìjìn hěnmáng, méiyǒu shíjiān zhǔnbèi jiàzhào kǎoshì, tā dǎsuàn luǒkǎo.
李华 最近 很忙， 没有 时间 准备 驾照 考试，他 打算 裸考。
Lihua is too busy these days to prepare for the driving test, so he’s going to take it without any preparation.
Zǎozhīdào zhècì qīmò kǎoshì zhème jiǎndān, wǒ jiù luǒkǎo le!
早知道 这次 期末 考试 这么 简单， 我 就 裸考 了！
If I had known the final exam would be so easy, I wouldn’t have bothered to prepare for it!
Quizzes
1. If Tom said, “我打算裸婚. (Wǒ dǎsuàn luǒhūn),” what does he mean?
A. Tom wants to get married as soon as possible.
B. Tom doesn’t want to get married.
C. Tom wants to get married without buying a house, a car, and other necessities.
2. Which of the following expressions means “to take the driving test without any preparation?”
A. 裸考(luǒkǎo)
B. 裸奔(luǒbēn)
C. 裸婚(luǒhūn)
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