Cute but whiny? It's sajiao

For all that has been written about cross cultural relationships I am really surprised no one has really mentioned sajiao. Of course there are a lot of cultural differences that influence any romantic relationship between a Chinese and a Westerner but in my opinion none as often, or as much, as sajiao.

So what is sajiao? It's not as easy to answer as you might think. Chinese people know what it is because it's such a big part of their romantic and family relationships. Almost every young Chinese man wants his woman to sajiao to him. But if you ask them for a definition most have a hard time coming up with something precise.

"Now that you asked me it's not so easy to explain," one of my Chinese friends told me.