Tongqi is a Chinese language

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 neologism for women who have married

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 gay

Gay

Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

 men. Liu Dalin, among the first sexologists in Mainland China, estimates that 90% of gay Chinese men marry a heterosexual woman, while in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, only 15-20% of gay men marry. Sexologist and sociologist Liu Yinhe (李银河) believes there are 20 million male homosexuals in China, 80% of whom marry a woman.
Gay Chinese men are under social pressure to marry and produce a male heir to continue the family line, as Confucianism

Confucianism

Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...

 places a strong emphasis on this.

Etymology

The word combines the tong from tongzhi

Tongzhi

Tongzhi is a term which literally means "same will" or "same purpose" in Chinese. Idiomatically, it means "comrade". It has taken on various meanings in various contexts since the 20th century, and now its use among the younger generation is slang for members of the LGBT community. The term was...

 (slang for "gay") with qi ("wife").

See also

• LGBT topics and Confucianism
• Same-sex marriage
  Same-sex marriage
  Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
  
  
• Religion and homosexuality
• faghag