Meaning:

    “妈” means “mom,” “宝” means “baby,” and “男” refers to a “man.” This Chinese term corresponds with the English term “mama’s boy,” which refers to a boy or man showing excessive attachment to or dependence on his mother. However, in the Chinese context, “mom’s baby boy” often refers to grown-up men dependent on their moms. Some people also call women spoiled by their parents “妈宝女,” but that term is far less popular than the saying “妈宝男.”

    Example:

    A: 最近相亲了吗？

    Zuìjìn xiàngqīn le ma?

    Did you go on blind dates lately?

    B: 同学介绍了一个男生，工作、家庭条件都不错，长相也还行。就是感觉他什么事情都听他妈的。

    Tōngxué jièshào le yīgè nánshēng, gōngzuò、jiātíng tiáojiàn dōu bùcuò, zhǎngxiàng yě háixíng。Jìushì gǎnjué tā shénme shìqíng dōu tīng tā mā de。

    A classmate introduced me to a guy. He has a decent job and is from a good family. He also looks good. Except, I feel like he listens to his mom about everything.

    A: 这种妈宝男，还是不要考虑。如果你们真的结婚了，婆媳关系不好处理。

    Zhèzhǒng mābǎonán, háishì bùyào kǎolǜ。Rúguǒ nǐmen zhēnde jiéhūn le, póxí guānxì bù hǎo chùlǐ。

    You’d better stay away from this mama’s boy. If you two actually end up together, it will be difficult for you to handle the in-law.