Why is dating called dating? Is there any allusion in this?

The word "dating" is a broad Cantonese dialect, including Guangzhou dialect, Chaoshan dialect and Hakka dialect.

Cantonese in a narrow sense means: Guangzhou dialect.

Therefore, standard Cantonese refers to the language based on the tones of traditional dialects in Guangzhou.

Among them, the word "dating" comes from the traditional maritime trade: when the Qing government was forced to open Guangzhou as the only trading port, many foreign commercial passenger ships were moored on the Pearl River in Guangzhou. In order to facilitate the loading of goods, many "dun ships" (foreign merchant ships were mainly used to transport goods in those days, usually with only one floor) were connected by chains, and ships were always connected from the center of the river to the dock, so that goods could be directly transported from the dock to the ships needed on the Pearl River. Formed a bridge connected by chains. Later, many Guangzhou residents used to call this scene "berthing towing", which means dragging the moored ships up with chains to form a bridge. It was later described as a break-up between lovers. Today, "dating" is not only used to describe the intimate actions of couples at a certain time, but also refers to falling in love!