Credits: Social Media
Chinas You swan, he frog is both ultimate compliment and savage put down
While you might be familiar with the phrase “he/she is out of your league”, China’s latest meme, “You swan, he frog” might be better suited for our more brutal readers.
Between Gen Z slang and the emergence of complicated dating terms like the Soft Guy Era, navigating relationships in 2024 is becoming increasingly difficult. But that’s where we come in, to keep you up to date with the latest relationship terms and words.
‘You swan, he frog’ is savage
Saying someone is “out of your league” is perhaps one of the more devastating personal attacks. It suggests the other person is somehow above you, and almost always it has to do with looks over substance.
But it seems there’s an even more brutal variation of the phrase, and it comes from China according to world news journalist Kassy (@kassycho).
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Taking to the video-sharing platform at the end of August where she penned in the caption: “People in China created a new phrase to ‘comfort’ a white influencer saying goodbye to her boyfriend, and now its become a huge meme.”
According to Kassy, the trend reportedly began when a white influencer in China, known as YourKris, said goodbye to her boyfriend at an airport. She was visibly upset by his departure, though people in her comments tried to console her with phrases that did not translate well.
Popular responses included “Men are all feet of a big pig”, and “You are beautiful and he is a monkey”. Some suggested she ditch the ginger boyfriend completely and hook up with a Chinese man.
By far the most popular translated phrase was “You swan, he frog”, which as you might gather means he is punching above his weight class.
Though the phrase is another demonstration of the internet’s ingenuity, much like 418 reasons you shouldn’t have a kid, the phrase actually comes from the Chinese idiom: “The toad wants to eat the meat of a swan.”
The trend has caught on like wildfire
As you might expect, the phrase was quickly picked up by Western social media users and people debate which celebrities fall under the swan and frog banner. Popular options include Taylor Swift and Matty Healy, and Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Some have switched it up to a couple being both swans, with actor Manny Jacinto and his wife Dianne Doan being top choices.
In the comments of Kassy’s video, some argued against the original boyfriend trend being a frog, with one penning: “We really have different beauty standards. Hes definitely considered good-looking in the west!”
“I love everything about this. Clever sense of humor,” another said, while a third added, “This whole video is a fever dream.”
