Think back to your school days and the classmates you went to school with, or are currently going to school with.
Each of us can probably think of at least one boy and girl who were extremely attractive and well-liked.
They may have also been good at their studies or sports, and the rest of the schooled loved to keep up with their lives, regularly gossiping about them.
In Chinese, we tend to describe such stunning girls as “花(huā),” and for the handsome boys, we use “草(cǎo).”
“花(huā)” originally refers to flowers such as “桃花(táohuā) peach blossom” and “梅花(méihuā) plum blossom.”
However, “花(huā)” can also be used to depict beautiful and charming women. Chinese people commonly compare flowers to beautiful woman, and this kind of metaphor is frequently used in both literary works and in daily conversations.
For instance, “校花(xiàohuā)” and “班花(bānhuā)” are used to describe the most beautiful girls in a school or class, respectively.
Examples
Tā yǐqián shì xiàohuā, hěnduō nánháir dōu xǐhuan tā.
她 以前 是 校花， 很多 男孩儿 都 喜欢 她。
She used to be the belle of the campus. Many boys like her.
Tā shì wǒmen bān de bānhuā, piàolianɡ ba?
她 是 我们 班 的 班花， 漂亮 吧？
She is our class beauty. Isn’t she beautiful?
On the other hand, the corresponding masculine title to “花(huā)” is “草(cǎo),” which means “grass” in Chinese. Usually, we compare “草(cǎo)” to boys. Those young men who are handsome, tall and charming in a school or class can be called “校草(xiàocǎo)” or “班草(bāncǎo).”
Examples
Wǒmen xuéxiào de xiàohuā hé xiàocǎo shì qínɡlǚ.
我们 学校 的 校花 和 校草 是 情侣。
The most charming boy and girl of our school are dating.
Nǐ cāicāi bāncǎo xǐhuan shéi?
你 猜猜 班草 喜欢 谁？
Guess who the most handsome boy of our class likes?
Quizzes
1. Shirley: “Look! That’s the 校花(xiàohuā) of our school.” What can we learn from Shirley’s words?
A. She sees a beautiful flower at her school.
B. She sees a beautiful girl.
C. She sees a gardener.
2. When girls see a “校草(xiàocǎo),” what will they probably do?
A. They will run away and hide.
B. They will smile and try to be charming.
C. They will laugh at him.
Chinese Popular Words (Fun Stuff)
HSK Test
General Chinese (Beginner Level)
General Chinese (Intermediate Level)
A,B