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If the Chinese Internet invents an idiom about you, it means there’s a big problem.
Your career is over, and/or you are already or soon to be in a prison cell.
Recent examples of fallen stars with their own idiom include:
Viya 薇娅 - the other live-streaming megastar done for massive tax evasion last year
Idiom: 薇机四伏 wēi jī sìfú - ‘Viya is totally f*cked’
Kris Wu 吴亦凡 - boy-band megastar and actor, banged up for alleged rape last year
Idiom: 吴可救药 wú kě jiù yào - ‘There is no saving Kris Wu’
Li Yifeng 李易峰 - an actor currently in a Beijing jail awaiting trial for soliciting prostitutes
Idiom: 见易思签 jiàn yì sī qiān - Li Yifeng reminds us of Wu Yifan
I made a prediction last year that China’s king of live-streaming, Lǐ Jiāqí 李佳琦, might have a tough year ahead.
That prediction was based on the invention of a new idiom which was one our top words of 2021:
琦虎难下 qí hǔ nán xià - Austin Li’s uncontrollable success
My prediction: This is an adaption of the idiom 骑虎难下 - ‘riding the tiger and hard to get off’ which at the time translates as ‘Austin Li’s uncontrollable success.’ But in the Year of the Tiger, and a nickname like this, Austin may also have a difficult time ahead.
So, I thought Austin Li, already with his very own unlucky idiom, may follow.
That prediction seemed to be on the money since June 3, when the influencer’s live stream was abruptly cut short following the appearance of a tank-shaped cake on-screen.
Li had not been seen since.
But the idiom-based prediction was proven wrong last week when he reappeared unannounced on Taobao in his live-stream studio.
The numbers speak for themselves:
This return to live-stream broadcasting attracted 63 million views in two hours, selling goods worth 120 million yuan, with many products selling out in less than a minute.
本次复播2小时，场观超6300W，直播带货销售总额超1.2亿元，不少在1分钟内售罄
Shoppers were happy their favourite live-streamer was back:
My happiness is back, but my hands are out of practice. The sounds that netizens are so used to hearing such as “Oh my God” and “Buy it” also were back.
“我的快乐回来了”“但我手生了”，网友熟悉的“偶买噶”“买它”等声音也回来了
And everyone agrees that Austin is still China’s number one:
Li Jiaqi in the live-streaming world is the only one at the top, there is no competition left.
李佳琦目前在直播界基本风头无两，尚无对手
So this week we explore what people had to say about Austin Li’s return, and how things have changed in his absence. (Hint: things have got tougher and more dull).
Favourite Five
1. 久违 jiǔ wéi
been away for a long time
久违的露面似乎也换来一份可圈可点的成绩单 - It seems his reappearance after a long absence has brought with it an excellent score sheet.
2. 钞能力 chāo néng lì
bank note capacity; rich or ability to make money
要看粉丝积累的情绪被释放后，能否持续这种带货钞能力 - With the release of fans’ emotions, can this level of sales be sustained?
More: an Americanism that found its way into the Chinese language thanks to the 2017 Justice League movie.
3. 重出江湖 chóng chū jiāng hú
make a comeback
李佳琦重出江湖，是不是意味着品牌们的大主播“相思病”也快痊愈了 - Li Jiaqi has reappeared. Does this mean that their lovesickness for him has finally been cured?
Note: 江湖 jiāng hú has to be one of the best Chinese words ever. Read more in this week’s Phrase of the Week in The China Project.
More: 相思病 xiāng sī bìng - lovesickness
4. 物是人非 wù shì rén fēi
things are the same but the people are different
一哥归来，物是人非。头部皆亡，剩下的压力只能他一个人来承担 - The King of Livestream is back. He’s the same but everything else has changed. All the big live-streamers have gone so he has to take on all the pressure.
Note: this idiom is from a letter by Cáo Pī 曹丕, A Letter to Wu Zhi (与吴质书 yǔ wú zhì shū) written towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD). See classics below.
5. 风声鹤唳，草木皆兵 fēng shēng hè lì, cǎo mù jiē bīng
whispering of the wind and the cries of cranes make every blade of grass appear as enemy troops; extremely nervous about the threat of attack
在李佳琦消失的日子里，不断涌入无数新势力，尽管没有抢走一哥太多体面，但风声鹤唳，草木皆兵 - During the time when Li Jiaqi had disappeared, many new players appeared. Although they didn’t take too much away from his position as the top live-streamer, but he is still nervous. [this is not right….]
Note: the idiom backstory dates back to the Book of Jin (晋书 jìn shū), the official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
售罄 shòu qìng
sold out
不少的品牌在1分钟内售罄 - Many products sold out within one minute.
涟漪 lián yī
ripples, waves
直到李佳琦复出才惊起一波巨大的涟漪 - It wasn’t until Li Jiaqi reappeared that it really started to make waves.
痊愈 quán yù
be cured
品牌们的大主播“相思病”也快痊愈了 - Does this mean that brands’ lovesickness for Li has finally been cured?
骤变 zhòu biàn
sudden change
就连这个仅存的头部主播都没预料到消费环境的骤变 - Not even this one remaining top live-streamer foresaw such changes in the consumer environment.
让贤 ràng xián
relinquish your place
李佳琦在直播间的“让贤”心思就频频凸显 - The thought of Li Jiaqi having disappeared often came to mind.
微商 wēi shāng
internet entrepreneur
产品调性难以与整个消费环境融合，稍不留神就会掉入微商之流 - The selection of products is hard to align with the consumer environment. If a live-streamer is not careful and gets it wrong, he or she will join other failed Internet entrepreneurs.
Note: 微 as in 微博 or 微信 refers to anyone who has made their money through online businesses such as live-streaming, KOLs etc.
Three-character phrases
一鲸落 yī jīng luò
a whale falls; a big name falls and makes way for many new players
无论是短暂出圈的刘畊宏、董宇辉，还是一鲸落，期待万物生的其他主播，都多少被李佳琦这一场复出打回了原型 - Liu Genghong and Dong Yuhui may have had short-term success, and they must all have been hoping for a bigger opportunity with the fall of Li Jiaqi, but they’ve been put back in their place with his his return.
More: the first part in a six-character phrase: 一鲸落，万物生 which we learned in September last year.
挖墙脚 wā qiáng jiǎo
dig wall corner; poach the best talent from your competitors
