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Chinese idol and pop singer Cài Xúkūn 蔡徐坤 is facing reputation ruin following allegations he forced a young woman to have an abortion in 2021.
According to a post on social media last week, Cai allegedly had a one-night stand with the woman, referred to as “Ms C”, in May, 2021. She later found she was pregnant.
Cai’s mother is also involved in the scandal.
She suspected “C” was faking it and blackmailing her son. So she hired a private investigator to install a pin-hole camera near C's apartment entrance to monitor her movements.
The footage gathered from that camera was used to urge the woman to have an abortion, which she eventually did in July 2021.
This week, while the social media storm grew, Cai eventually made a statement on Weibo confirming:
Two years ago, I was single. I had dated Ms. C. The private matters between us were properly resolved in 2021, and there have been no further complications between us.
两年前我处于单身状态，与C女士有过交往，双方之间的私事已经在2021年妥善解决，彼此没有进一步的纠葛
The damage was done, and that made matters worse.
Fans were disappointed:
Today's reputation collapse is inevitable and not worthy of sympathy.
At this point, someone might ask: There was first Li Yundi, then Wu Yifan, later on Li Yifeng, and now we have Cai Xukun. They all initially appeared to be gentle and affectionate idols. So why did they engage in infidelity, casual sexual encounters, or even force others to have abortions?
今天的塌房就是必然的事，不值得同情。 写到这里，有人或许会问：前有李云迪，中有吴亦凡，后有李易峰，现在又有蔡徐坤，本来都是那种看起来温情款款的偶像，为什么他们会出轨、会约炮、会逼人堕胎？ [3]
Brands he worked with were hit hard:
Prada was hit the worst: The brand has spent so much money to have Cai endorse it. Is it just for the sake of trending alongside Cai Xukun in this scandal?
Prada实惨：老子花那么多钱让你代言，难道就是图着跟你上这种热搜的吗？ [3]
And many people asked why male celebrities behave so badly and get away with so much:
Female celebrities who have affairs are completely cancelled, while male celebrities who have affairs or engage in illegal activities can still make a lot of money.
女明星出轨被完全封杀，男明星出轨及做违法之事，还能美美赚钱。 [2]
So, that's what we explore this week!
Favourite Five
1. 塌房 tā fáng
reputation collapse
今天的塌房就是必然的事，不值得同情 - This reputation collapse today was inevitable, and it's not worthy of sympathy.
More: Read more in this week's The China Project Phrase of the Week.
Related:
崩塌 bēng tā - to collapse, to crumble
人设 rén shè - image, public persona
半塌不塌 bàn tā bù tā - neither fully collapsed nor intact
2. 脱粉 tuō fěn
to unfollow, to stop being a fan
坚决不脱粉，我永远等你 - I will never unfollow, I'll wait for you forever. [2]
Related:
取关 qǔ guān - to unfollow, to stop following (on social media)
3. 踩缝纫机 cǎi féng rèn jī
to work as a manual sewing machine operator; to do time in prison
到时候，送进去踩缝纫机，踩个若干年，都不在话下 - At that time, they will be sent into prison and it would not be surprising if the sentence is longer than several years. [3]
Note: A social media slang term. We explore this more in the podcast.
4. 鸡你太美 jī nǐ tài měi
you are so beautiful
虽然5年过去，“鸡你太美”仍然是一些视频博主乐此不疲使用的二创梗 - Even though five years have passed, some video bloggers still enjoy parodying the meme "chicken is too beautiful" without getting tired of it. [4]
Note: A popular meme,"鸡你太美" is an Internet slang phrase that originated from the lyrics of the song "Just Because You Are Too Beautiful" (只因你太美) released in 2016. It became popular due to Cai Xukun's self-introduction performance of that song on the reality show "Idol Producer" (偶像练习生), replacing “just because” (只因) with the slightly homophonic character for “chicken” (鸡). The phrase is a playful way to express admiration or compliment someone's beauty in a humorous manner.
5. 倒奶事件 dào nǎi shì jiàn
milk dumping incident; excessive fan culture and behaviour
与蔡徐坤专辑上线同时发生的娱乐圈大事，是著名的“倒奶事件” - A major incident in the entertainment industry that happened simultaneously with the release of Cai Xukun's album in 2021 is the famous "milk dumping incident". [4]
Note: This relates to a story we covered in Slow Chinese back in May 2021 when obsessive fans bought Mengniu milk cartons in bulk, emptying them to get to the QR code from inside to vote for their favourite star in a reality TV show, Youth With You 3 (青春有你3). This was one thing which led to harsher oversight of China's entertainment sector, and what is called “chaotic fan culture” (饭圈文化).
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 冤枉 yuān wang
wronged
不是觉得蔡徐坤冤枉，而是觉得对女性不公 - It's not that I think Cai Xukun is being treated unfairly, but rather that I feel it's unfair to women. [2]
7. 废墟 fèi xū
ruins, wreckage
男明星都塌成废墟了，还在讨论算不算塌房？真可笑 - Male celebrities have all turned into ruins, and they're still discussing whether it counts as reputation collapse? It's ridiculous. [2]
8. 下场 xià chǎng
bad outcome, terrible fate
很多男明星出轨犯错的下场，其实不取决于男性们挺不挺他 - What happens to male celebrities who have cheated or made mistakes doesn't depend on whether other men support him or not. [2]
9. 缄默 jiān mò
silence, to keep silent
各个品牌方默契地保持着缄默观望的态度 - It is as if the brands have reached a tacit agreement to silently watch this scandal unfold. [1]
10. 污点 wū diǎn
stain, blemish
要求对方接受人流手术等行为，无疑是一种道德污点 - Demanding that the other party undergo procedures such as abortion is undoubtedly a moral stain. [1]
Related: 泥潭 ní tán - muddy pool, quagmire. The term "泥潭" can also refer to certain online forums known for their chaotic and controversial discussions.
11. 内娱 nèi yú
domestic entertainment industry
内娱环境不同，普通大众和关注娱乐圈以及偶像行业的“粉丝”之间隔着太多层观念的壁垒 - The domestic entertainment industry has a different environment, and fans who follow the entertainment circle and idol industry have a completely different mindset compared to the general public. [1]
12. 溺爱 nì ài
to dote on, to excessively spoil
你们对男明星的过分溺爱，和对女明星的过分审判，让我觉得恶心 - Your excessive doting on male celebrities and excessive judgment of female celebrities make me feel disgusted. [2]
Three-character phrases
13. 妈宝男 mā bǎo nán
mummy's boy
“妈宝男”隐身 - The "mummy's boy" says nothing. [1]
14. 男猪脚 nán zhū jiǎo
man - pig - foot; male lead
