Two nationalist pundits talk tough on Taiwan
Two nationalist pundits talk tough on Taiwan
Discussing an online duel between two nationalist pundits
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Former Global Times editor, Hú Xījìn 胡锡进 and popular Chinese blogger, Chairman Rabbit (兔主席 tù zhǔ xí), had an online tussle in the days following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Chairman Rabbit’s real name is Rèn Yì 任意, the Harvard-educated grandson of Communist Party reformer Rèn Zhòngyí 任仲夷.
Chairman Rabbit thinks Hu pushed things too far, with his excessive sabre rattling around the visit:
Hu Xijin’s suggestion of ‘accompanying’ and ‘shooting down’ the plane not only did not scare the 82-year-old grandmother away, but also caused him some unexpected problems.
胡锡进设想的“伴飞”、“击落”不仅没能吓住这位82岁的婆婆，反而给自己带来了意想不到的麻烦
The problem was Hu’s incendiary language; going even further than the official barrage of threatening rhetoric, which won strong support from netizens, raising expectations with the already-frothing public:
The unrealistic approach of accompanying and taking down Pelosi’s jet made by Hu Xijin has become understood as an approach that China might use.
胡锡进提出的完全不靠谱但被渲染为可能真实被采用的方法手段(伴飞、击落)
A veteran of waging wars of words (口水战 kǒu shuǐ zhàn in Chinese), Hu was having none it.
In a post on Weibo, he hit back:
Chairman Rabbit reads a lot and knows his stuff, but he’s only a good student. He only gets his understanding of waging wars of opinion from books and elite clubs.
He’s probably upset that I still have so much influence online even though I’ve retired, so he wants to stop me and take over a dominant position. So he’s trying to turn the Internet against me, and in turn set the system against me.
他读书多，见识也不少，但他属于这个社会的“三好生”，对舆论战的认识来自于书本和精英聚会的高谈阔论
可能对老胡退休后继续保持在互联网上的影响力不满，想让老胡腾地方。他大概希望自己振臂一呼，就能够调动起对老胡的全网讨伐，进而让这种讨伐转化成对老胡的体制内杀伤力
But as far as Chairman Rabbit is concerned, Hu’s performance is all about his ego:
In terms of online traffic, Hu has earned a huge amount of attention.
流量，老胡是结结实实赚到了
So, what do netizens think?
Has 'Frisbee Hu' gone too far?
In a lively discussion on Zhihu one netizen agrees with Chairman Rabbit:
The main problem is Hu's been way too over-enthusiastic catching the Frisbee, it's hard for him to turn back. Originally he was trying to catch a Frisbee, but it turned out to be a pot [something he’s taken the blame for].
主要是叼得太用力了，不好调头，本以为叼的是飞盘，仔细一看是口锅
So this week we explore how this duel has unfolded online and what language Hú and Tù have hurled at each other in the tit-for-tat.
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Favourite Five
1. 死磕 sǐ kē
keep going even though it’s a waste of time
一个死磕，一个硬撑。不知未来，谁才是舆论场一哥？One keeps pointlessly having a go, the other is so stubborn. Who in the future will be the top opinion leader online?
Note: this used to be a Beijing slang word and has now become a popular online slang phrase.
2. 老妖婆 lǎo yāo pó
old witch
“老妖婆”佩洛西窜访台岛 - The Old Witch’s visit to Taiwan.
Note: a derogatory term for Nancy Pelosi which became a popular meme on Weibo.
3. 根红苗正 gēn hóng miáo zhèng
from a ‘Red’ (communist) background
“兔主席”出身根红苗正，留过洋，喝过洋墨水，年轻气盛 - Chairman Rabbit is from a family well-connected with the Party. He’s lived and been educated in the West, and is young and full of energy.
Note: this is a term which was often used during the Cultural Revolution
4. 毛头小伙子 máo tóu xiǎo huǒ zi
a young up-start
这次如果输在一个“80后”毛头小伙子手上，以后在中国内地的舆论场，就很难保住网红一哥的地位了 - If he loses to this young up-start born in the 1980’s, it will be hard for Hu to maintain his dominant position on social media in China.
5. 哪个石头缝里蹦出来的 nǎ ge shí tou fèng lǐ bèng chū lái de
what rock did you crawl from under
老胡投身革命几十年，现在已经光荣退休，你“兔主席”，一个毛头小伙子，哪个石头缝里蹦出来的？Hu has several decades of revolutionary experience and has now honourably retired. Where does this Chairman Rabbit even come from?
Note: a reference to the classic novel, Journey to the West (西游记 xī yóu jì). We discuss this in SupChina phrase of the week if you want to go deeper.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
调门 diào mén
tone
调门拔得过高，群众觉得后续行动跟不上，会带来不解和失望 - He went too far, which will make the people feel the following actions did not live up to expectations, and lead to misunderstanding and disappointment.
Note: originally a music term meaning ‘key’ - C minor, D major etc.
炮轰 pào hōng
shelling, bombing; attack
红三代网红博主兔主席炮轰环球时报前总编胡锡进，指责老胡挑动民意 - The grandson of a prominent party leader and Internet blogger Chairman Rabbit has attacked the Former Editor of the Global Times, Hu Xijn, claiming he has caused public unrest.
吃瘪 chī biě
to give up, or be forced into submission
原来是被红三干了，难怪老胡吃瘪了 - Hu has been outdone by a third generation elite, not wonder he’s been beaten.
Note: 瘪 biě means deflated or shrunk
马甲 mǎ jiǎ
protective vest; online alias
别躲在一个马甲后进行肮脏的构陷 - Don’t set traps while hiding behind an online alias.
枪挑 qiāng tiāo
pick a gun fight; attack
“兔主席”主动出击，枪挑老胡 - Chairman Rabbit was looking for a fight and went on the attack at Hu.
羽毛 yǔ máo
feathers; reputation
我个人的羽毛又能有多重？How important can my own reputation be?
Three-character phrases
冷不丁 lěng bu dīng
to someone’s surprise
在这当口，有一个年轻的80后小伙子看不下去了，冷不丁，斜刺里冲杀了出来，给了老胡当头一闷棍 - A young lad born in the 1980’s couldn’t take it any more. So he launched a surprise attack on Hu Xijin.
More: 挨闷棍 āi mèngùn - to be suddenly attacked
三好生 sān hǎo shēng
a good student
他读书多，见识也不少，但他属于这个社会的“三好生” - He’s read a lot of books, and seen a lot, but he’s what you would describe as a ‘good student’.
Note: this is a system for appraising Chinese students in school. The ‘three goods’ refer to character (品德好), studies (学习好) and sport (身体好). Hu uses it pejoratively here as a way to criticise Chairman Rabbit as being too well-behaved.
马后炮 mǎ hòu pào
an action that is too late
马后炮有落井下石之嫌，并不见得高明 - Criticising someone after the event risks being seen as adding insult to injury. It’s not necessarily that clever.
Note: can also say ‘L'esprit de l'escalier’ which is a French term used in English for the predicament of thinking of the perfect reply too late. English speakers sometimes call this ‘escalator wit’, or ‘staircase wit’.
Idioms
Idioms about conflict and debates.
势均力敌 shì jūn lì dí
evenly matched
这是老胡与“兔主席”，交手的第一回合，现在看来，势均力敌，基本打个平手 - This is the first time Hu Xijin and Chairman Rabbit have clashed. At the moment it seems they are evenly matched.
伶牙俐齿 líng yá lì chǐ
eloquent
老胡虽被动防御，但伶牙俐齿，气势不输半分 - Hu was attacked but he is eloquent and held his own.
唇枪舌剑 chún qiāng shé jiàn
lips gun - tongue sword; an intense debate
双方唇枪舌剑，谁也不让谁，互有胜负 - They were both locked in an intense debate and not retreating. They each had wins and losses.
难解难分 nán jiě nán fēn
intractable
战争，还在继续。双方，杀得难解难分 - The battle continues. They are in an intractable war.
刺刀见红 cì dāo jiàn hóng
drawing blood
开头，老胡就刺刀见红 - From the start, Old Hu went in for the kill.
誓不罢休 shì bù bà xiū
swear not to give up
有人不断攻击我，大有不搞倒老胡誓不罢休的意思 - Some people are continually attacking me, seemly committed to taking me down.
Note: a really confusing sentence, using the double negative to make a point.
硝烟弥漫 xiāo yān mí màn
smoke fills the air; the battle continues
目前，“老妖婆窜访台岛”留下的舆论场，胡锡进与“兔主席”，硝烟弥漫，战斗正酣 - Currently the public debate around the Old Witch’s visit to Taiwan between Hu Xijin and Chairman Rabbit is ongoing.
Note: 战斗正酣 another idiom meaning something similar
单枪匹马 dān qiāng pī mǎ
one gun one horse; single-handedly
用尽全力逼吓Pelosi，如果Pelosi不来了，那这个功劳就可以算他的，是他单枪匹马“吓”退了Pelosi - He is trying his best to scare Pelosi into not coming. If she doesn’t, he gets the credit - single handedly stopping her coming.
Phrases
架到火上烤 jià dào huǒ shàng kǎo
roast on the barbecue; be put in a difficult situation
这就把老胡架到火上烤了，上不去，更下不来 - This put Hu in a difficult situation - he couldn’t get out of it.
喝过洋墨水 hē guò yáng mò shuǐ
drink foreign ink; have studied abroad
“兔主席”出身根红苗正，留过洋，喝过洋墨水，年轻气盛 - Chairman Rabbit is from a family well-connected with the Party, lived in the West, studied abroad, and he’s young and full of energy.
千里走单骑 qiān lǐ zǒu dān qí
ride a thousand miles alone
今天老胡退休了，不再是一个团队，真成了“千里走单骑” - Today Old Hu is retired. He has no team and has become a loner.
Note: a reference to the Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志 sān guó zhì), a historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. It’s widely regarded as the official and authoritative source historical text for that period.
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