I would rather cry in a BMW
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| I would rather cry in a BMW | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 宁在宝马车里哭，也不在自行车上笑 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 寧在寶馬車裏哭，也不在自行車上笑 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Rather inside BMW car crying, than be on top of a bike laughing | ||||||
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"I would rather cry in a BMW" is a quotation that became an online sensation in the People's Republic of China in 2010. The old, long-familiar phrase was made famous by Ma Nuo, a 20-year-old female contestant on the television dating show Fei Cheng Wu Rao (also known in English as If You Are the One). The line was in response to a question by an unemployed suitor who asked if Ma would "ride a bicycle with him" on a date. The series of events has been summed up in the media with the quip "I would rather cry in a BMW than smile on a bicycle."[1]
In interviews after the show, Ma pointedly denied being a "gold digger", saying that she "just wanted to reject [her suitor] in a creative way."[2] Social commentator Chen Zhigang remarked, "Does Ma Nuo only speak for herself? No. Her opinion resonates with youth; they have grown up in a society that is quickly accumulating material wealth. They worship money, cars and houses because the highly developed economy has made them do so."[3]