Meaning:

    Literally translated as “half-sugar husband and wife,” this term, a new word accepted by the Chinese Ministry of Education in 2007, refers to couples who live seperately in the same city on five work days of the week and only spend weekend together to keep their relationship fresh and exciting. It may have been derived from a song named “Half Sugarism” (“半糖主义”) by Taiwanese girl band S.H.E.

    Example:

    A: 小丽结婚了吗？我怎么看她每天下班还回自己的公寓？

    Xiǎolì jiéhūn le ma? Wǒ zěnme kàn tā měitiān xiàbān hái huí zìjǐ de gōngyù?

    Is Xiaoli married? Why do I see her return to her own apartment every day?

    B: 她结婚了，不过他俩是半糖夫妻，小丽周末才去她丈夫那里。

    Tā jiéhūn le, bùguò tāliǎ shì bàntáng fūqī, xiǎolì zhōumò cái qù tā zhàngfū nàlǐ。

    She is married, but they are a “half-sugar couple.” Xiaoli only goes to live with her husband on weekends.