老公 and 老婆

[Observer]

Simple question, I think - are 老公 and 老婆 only used to refer to the husband/wife or permanent partner, or can these terms be used more widely in a less permanent relationship?

 

Thanks for any advice on this.

[Tomsima]

Yes, you will hear boyfriends and girlfriends using these terms even when not married, not all the time but occasionally, presumably as a expression of their love and commitment to the relationship, but sometimes also just to be 'cute'

[Demonic_Duck]

Yeah, I wouldn't necessarily say "less permanent" though. I think if you're using those words that kinda signals you have at least the vague intention of marrying at some point, or alternatively that you see yourselves as being "basically married" even though you haven't signed a piece of paper.

 

Bear in mind that the norm in Chinese society is that people don't date without marriage being an end goal. It's true that more and more young people are rejecting this norm to some extent, but dating with no intention of marriage whatsoever is still pretty rare.

[Observer]

Thanks to you both, this is very helpful......

[Jane98]

In China, girls call their most favorite male idols 老公 as well.