In Chinese, Is 'Turtle Head' The Proper Term For 'Penis'?

As I understand it, in Chinese, ‘turtle head’ (pronounced QUAY-toe in Mandarin) is a common term used to describe the male appendage, because it is said to look and sound like a penis (some turtles emit a hissing sound when they withdraw their head into their shell).

I would like to know if ‘turtle head’ is, in fact, the actual medical term for the penis, or if it is just a common slang expression for the penis like ‘cock’ or ‘pecker.’ In other words, if you were to attend a conference of Chinese urologists, would you hear them talking about ‘turtle heads’?

Thanks.

I don’t know about Chinese, but it in Japanese it is the correct medical term for part of the penis - namely the glans.

It’s the same in Chinese, or so my dictionary says: 龟头 (龜頭 in traditional script) – gui1 tou2 : glans.

For the record it’s 亀頭 – kitou, in Japanese.

nope. it’s crude slang. turtle is often used as an insult

proper term is ying1jin1.

‘lao’er’ is very common slang

While I don’t dispute common usage, it seems, from what I gather, that gui tou is used seriously to refer to the glans.

For example, this page, from a hospital’s site talks about inflamation of the glans and foreskin as 包皮龟头炎.

However, when I was a teen, in French, the proper word for “glans”, “gland”, was a relatively common insult. So a word can both be harsh slang and a proper medical term.

:eek: My penis has never hissed!

This thread reminds me of the Seinfeld episode, when Jerry and George are trying to explain the effects of cold water on a penis:

“It shrinks?”
Like a frightened turtle.”
“I don’t know how you guys walk around with those things.”

My penis never makes a hissing sound, is it broken?

I wish my penis made a hissing sound!

Old son? :slight_smile:

I’ve been told that calling someone a “turtle egg” is a big insult in Chinese because it’s basically a way to call someone a bastard (turtles don’t know who their parents are). A college prof who was fluent in Chinese once said during a lecture that telling someone to “Roll away” [like a turtle egg] in Chinese was like saying “fuck off.”

Would you rather experience a penis hissing, or a heinous pissing?