There's simply no time for it - plus you never know if the people you date are merely after your money.
On top of that, most of the women in their lives are business contacts and thus inappropriate for an emotional relationship.
All these have had some Chinese businessmen turning to matchmakers to help them find love.
But not just any kind of matchmaking.
These well-educated and successful men who boast personal assets worth at least 2 million yuan ($390,000) each have signed up with Noble Single, an exclusive matchmaking portal only for the elite.
The New Paper on Sunday spoke to seven members. One is Mr Chen Yi, the chairman of a cardboard printing corporation.
'Call me status-conscious but frankly, there's no way I would get cosy with any of my employees,' he said.
Mr Tao Wei Qiu, 45, who runs a transport and logistics companies in six provinces, added: 'I wouldn't want to settle down with the female business associates I meet - they are too aggressive.'
Set up early last year, Noble Single claims that about 50 'first-class' male members are billionaires with a net worth of more than 1 billion yuan.
Among the 40,000 ordinary members who meet the basic criteria are chairmen of public-listed companies, group managing directors, entrepreneurs and senior management personnel in multi-national corporations.
In an e-mail interview with The New Paper on Sunday, the brains behind Noble Single, Mr Xu Tianli, claimed that the company has another 10 members who are worth more than 50 billion yuan each.
The 34-year-old CEO said: 'Our richest member is a 400-billion-yuan tycoon who deals in natural resources, namely mining and petroleum.'
While the members come from all parts of China, including Hong Kong and Macau, most are from Shanghai, Guangdong and Zhejiang.
Members also include Chinese from England, France, Australia and the US.
Mr Xu said: 'For a country with the world's largest population, marriage is definitely serious business, especially for the rich.'
And getting on the elite list does not come cheap. Aside from the annual subscription fee that ranges between 500 yuan (town membership) and 5,000 yuan (international), the men also have to pay for customised matchmaking packages.
These range from 20,000 yuan to 1million yuan for a luxury one.
Noble Single marketing director Jasper Tan, 28, said: 'It's not just a case of man meets woman online. We explore the various methods of dating to help our clients find their ideal partner.'
Events are organised to create an opportunity for members to meet.
To date, three parties have been staged successfully, said Mr Tan, who is responsible for the portal's branding and business development.
'It's a practical way of bringing everyone together on a single date. This way, you can suss out potential partners at one go.'
The events have been drawing much media attention. Early this month, 45 members and guests spent four hours at a ball in a luxurious colonial villa.
In the first event held last year, members went on a cruise along Shanghai's Huangpu River.
But not every member could afford the exclusive events. It cost 28,800 yuan to get on the cruise and 58,800 yuan for the ball.
And to qualify for selection, the women had to be 'pretty, desirable and educated'.
This has led to controversial reports that the women could be out only for the money.
However, Mr Tan said successful participants were picked from thousands of applications only after a stringent screening process.
He said: 'The main objective is to weed out the gold-diggers from the genuine potential mates.'
Still, participant Zhao Kun liked the concept. The Shanghai-based senior regional director, who is in his mid-30s, said: 'Our society is still conservative. You can't just approach a woman you desire and ask if she's available. This is a good way to meet them.'
Another millionaire member, who wanted to be known only as Mr Wu, said: 'Some people think that this whole matchmaking idea is crazy. Or that with our money, there should be no lack of women.
'But think again - it's precisely because of our financial status that it's good to have a third party do the checks.'
Mr Zhao said there is 'nothing wrong' with matchmaking.
'It's an old trade that has been around for donkey years.'
THE EVENTS...
'CAPTAIN ONE' LOVE BOAT CRUISE When: 25 Nov 2006 Where: Shanghai's Huangpu River Fee: 28,800 yuan ($5,600) each Men: 20 Women: 20 paying guests and five invited Programme: Buffet dinner, talent performance by guests
MASQUERADE BALL
When: 3 Nov 2007
Where: Colonial villa in Abundant Green Garden, Shanghai
Fee: 58,800 yuan ($11,450) each
Men: 20
Women: 20 paying guests and five invited
Programme: Dinner, love auction
SUCCESS
90 per cent of party guests found potential partners
