耽美

Chinese
covet; enjoy beautiful; beauty; America
simp. and trad.
(耽美)		 耽 美
Literally: “to covet beauty”.

Etymology

Originally coined in Japanese as a translation of “aestheticism” (equivalent Chinese term: 唯美主義), and was applied in the description of BL-themed comics since the 1970s which at the time were mostly aesthetic and romantic. The latter meaning was later reintroduced into Chinese (as wasei kango).

Pronunciation

Noun

耽美

  1. (slang) love between men or boys, especially as a literary genre; boys' love (BL)

See also
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