Save Gender Feminine Usage Chinese (Expatriate) Pronounced Pron. /ˈswɑl.oʊ/(English) [key·simplify] Meaning & History From the English word which refers to a small, migratory bird of the Hirundinidae family with long, pointed, moon-shaped wings and a forked tail. It is mainly used by Chinese bearers as a translation of 燕子 (yànzi).