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Social media feeds were dominated earlier this week with the news of one of China's most famous celebrities being arrested.
The big scoop (or 瓜 guā ‘melon’ in Chinese Internet slang) followed a statement by the Beijing Police that actor, Lǐ Yìfēng 李易峰, had been arrested for soliciting prostitutes (嫖娼 piáo chāng).
Prada and other brands immediately cut ties with the disgraced actor.
Li was due to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala on CCTV on Saturday night. But that was pulled too.
Netizens and pundits were quick to comment, in an avalanche of linguistic creativity.
First, English acronyms were used for sensitive words.
卖Y = 卖淫 mài yín = prostitution
PC = 嫖娼 piáo chāng = soliciting prostitutes
Second, rhyming puns were invented.
Puns, which don’t come across in English, used the Chinese characters for tax (税 shuì) and sleep (睡 shuì) - which here means ‘sleeping around’.
Both characters sound exactly the same - shuì - with one netizen inventing an excellent tongue twister:
There are two main reasons why celebrities in China’s entertainment world fall: one is sleeping around; the other is tax evasion. You should pay the tax you should pay, and don’ t sleep (around) where you shouldn’t.
娱乐圈中明星艺人塌房的两个主要原因：一个睡，一个税。所以，该税的税，不该睡的别睡
Third, new idioms were invented.
Li and his friend and co-star, disgraced actor-singer Kris Wu 吴亦凡 Wú Yìfán, who was arrested by Beijing Police on suspicion of rape in July last year, were the subject of newly invented idioms.
The 易 yì and 李 Lǐ characters from Li Yifeng’s name, and 吴 wú from Kris Wu’s, were adapted to new idioms:
吴易幸免 wú yì xìng miǎn
From 无一幸免 wú yī xìng miǎn, which means ‘no one is spared’, which here means ‘Li and Wu are finished’.
见易思签 jiàn yì sī qiān
From 见异思迁 jiàn yì sī qiān, ‘Change your mind when you see something new’. But here translates as ‘Li Yifeng reminds us of Wu Yifan’ (签 qiān refers to Wu Yifan who is called 吴签 wú qiān - Toothpick Wu - by netizens).
吴李取闹 wú lǐ qǔ nào
From 无理取闹 wú lǐ qǔ nào, ‘Make trouble out of nothing’ but here means ‘Li and Wu have made trouble out of nothing’
易吴所有 yì wú suǒ yǒu
From 一无所有 yì wú suǒ yǒu which normally translates as ‘to have nothing left’, here means ‘Wu and Li have nothing left’.
And, finally, state media also got stuck in too.
The Beijing Daily went high-brow with references to a Qing dynasty classic:
“德不配位，必有灾殃。”《北京日报》也发表评论认为，“李易峰作为新生代演员，戏演得不少，奖拿得不少，近些年来更靠‘正派阳光’的人设吸粉无数。可就是这样一个‘顶流’，却丝毫不爱惜羽毛，不懂洁身自好，视法律于无物，置公德于不顾，实在令人大跌眼镜。”
Misfortune will be brought upon those who are not virtuous. The Beijing Daily believes that Li Yifeng, as a new generation actor, has starred in many movies, received many awards, and has attracted countless fans through a respectable public persona. But, such a top level celebrity does not look after his reputation, does not keep himself clean, does not respect the law, or have morals. It is truly shocking.
‘Misfortune will be brought upon those who are not virtuous’ comes from the Qing Dynasty work, Zhu’s Maxims for Managing the Home (朱子家训 zhū zi jiā xùn), which we have discussed before in this newsletter.
So this week we explore creative uses of modern Chinese language and classics related to this big melon news story.
Favourite Five
1. 瓜 guā
a huge scoop
随着李易峰嫖娼事件愈演愈烈，有网友分享了自己知道的瓜 - As the news story of Li Yifeng soliciting prostitutes became more intense, some netizens shared the scoops that they knew of.
Note: this comes from the phrase 吃瓜群众 chī guā qún zhòng - gawping onlookers - which we have discussed before in this newsletter. It originated as a descriptor for netizens in online chatrooms that did not participate in discussions. It was a top 10 buzzword of 2016.
2. 塌房 tā fáng
reputation collapse
这也是李易峰一直以来给大众营造的人设，如今塌房了 - This is the public persona that Li Yifeng has built with his fans. But today it’s completely collapsed.
Note: 人设 rén shè - persona, which we discussed in 17 July newsletter last year.
3. 顺藤摸瓜 shùn téng mō guā
follow the vine to get the melon; track down a culprit by following clues
李易峰被抓其实是个“顺藤摸瓜”！- Li Yifeng being caught is thanks to ongoing investigations by the police.
Note: there’s lots of sweet and juicy facts about this idiom. 瓜 here is a play on words which means both “big scoop” and the “case being investigated”.
4. 死鸭子嘴硬 sǐ yā zi zuǐ yìng
a dead duck still has a hard beak; very stubborn
如何看待李易峰此前发声明？死鸭子嘴硬无法形容 - How do you view Li Yifeng’s most recent statement? He’s so unwilling to accept he’s wrong. There are no words to describe it.
Note: a metaphor describing someone who is so stubborn they don’t know when to admit they are wrong. This is a reference to Li Yifeng’s inital rebuke of the allegations before the official police statement. The phrase was one of the top trending hashtags on Weibo on Sunday evening.
More: Previously discussed in 24 July newsletter last year, when netizens used the same expression to criticise Kris Wu.
5. 知错能改，善莫大焉 zhī cuò néng gǎi shàn mò dà yān
a fault confessed is half redressed
都说知错就改善莫大焉，但对于一个公众人物、一个偶像而言，他还配被大家原谅吗？- We all know that ‘a mistake confessed is half way to making it right’. But as a public figure, as a celebrity, does he deserve the people’s forgiveness?
Note: originated from The Commentary of Zuo (左传 zuǒ zhuàn), authored by Zuǒ Qiūmíng 左丘明. It’s an narrative history chronicling the Spring and Autumn period. Published in the 4th Century BC, it comprises 30 chapters covering a period from 722 to 468 BC.
Consuming the Conversations
Useful words
实锤 shí chuí
there is evidence that proves this beyond doubt
谁能想到不到24小时，李易峰就被官方实锤了 - Who would have thought that within 24 hours the charges against Li Yifeng had been announced by the authorities.
黑料 hēi liào
evidence of wrongdoing
李易峰更是发布近千字的长文，对网络上的黑料表示心塞，希望自己的名字只是出现在作品中 - Li Yifeng even published a 1000-character response to the accusations against him online, saying he was disappointed, and that he hoped his name in accusations would only appear in movies.
饭圈 fàn quān
chaotic fan groups
官方加大对饭圈文化的管理，本以为饭圈已经是一片净土 - The government mistakenly believed that it has cleaned things up in fan groups so it is coming down harder on them.
Note: last discussed in 24 September newsletter last year when we learned about chaotic fan groups - 饭圈乱象 fàn quān luàn xiàng.
荧幕 yíng mù
screen, the big screen
要在荧幕上下自我约束、做好表率 - He should have behaved himself both on and off screen. He’s supposed to be a role model.
鲜肉 xiān ròu
fresh meat; heartthrob
特别是很多鲜肉、小花有大批青少年粉丝 - These young male and female celebrities, in particular, tend to have lots of very young fans.
More: the term 小鲜肉 xiǎo xiān ròu ‘ little fresh meat’ used to be a positive term referring good-looking male celebs. It now tends to be a derogatory term, grouped together with other phrases like 娘炮 niáng pào - effeminate men. So far I haven’t seen the female equivalent - ‘little flower’ 小花 xiǎo huā - used pejoratively.
神坛 shén tán
altar; the celebrity world
公众人物因违法跌落神坛，往往只在一瞬间 - The falling of a public figure often happens in an instant.
Three-character phrases
落水狗 luò shuǐ gǒu
dog in the water; drowning dog; bad person who has lost favour or power
李易峰人设崩塌，顶流成为落水狗 - Li Yifeng’s reputation has collapsed. This once top level celebrity is now like a dog in the gutter.
护身符 hù shēn fú
a person or thing that protects from punishment
