''Zaolian'' ( Chinese: ; literal meaning "early love") in

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...

means "to have a romantic relationship too early"''

Xiandai Hanyu Cidian ''Xiandai Hanyu Cidian'' (), also known as ''A Dictionary of Current Chinese'' or ''Contemporary Chinese Dictionary'' is an important one-volume dictionary of Standard Mandarin Chinese published by the Commercial Press, now into its 7th (2016) ed ...

'' (现代汉语词典) 6th edition and refers to adolescent romantic relationships before university. In China, many conservative parents and educators supporting examination-based education think that "zaolian" will bring many problems such as it will affect students' study ability and marks, or that zaolian relationships will almost always split in the end.

References

{{PRChina-stub Chinese culture