Pinyin:
xiāngbōbo
Meaning:
比喻很受欢迎、很抢手的人或事物。
someone or something that is very popular or in great demand
Character breakdown and explanation:
香：delicious; appetizing
饽饽：[dialect] pastry/snack or wheaten food made with wheat or multigrain flour (such as steamed buns, etc.)
“饽饽” is a term found in some Northern dialects, sometimes to refer to pastries or other similar snacks, sometimes to steamed buns or other lump-shaped wheaten foods made of flour. A “香饽饽” is something thought to be mouthwatering and tempting – something that everyone likes and wants. For this reason, the expression “香饽饽” is used to describe someone or something that is popular or in high demand.
Example sentences:
这份工作可是香饽饽，钱挣得多还很轻闲。
Zhè fèn gōngzuò kě shì xiāngbōbo, qián zhèng de duō hái hěn qīngxián.
This job’s like a “sweet pastry” – it pays well and the workload’s not heavy.
自从他考上名牌大学的博士，就成了香饽饽，给他介绍女朋友的人就没断过。
Zìcóng tā kǎo shàng míngpái dàxué de bóshì, jiù chéng le xiāngbōbo, gěi tā jièshào nǚpéngyou de rén jiù méi duàn guò.
Ever since he became a PhD student at a well-known university, he’s been like a “sweet pastry” – there’s been an endless stream of people trying to set him up (with a girlfriend).
