Chinese idol and pop singer faces reputation collapse
Cai Xukun accused of getting woman pregnant and forcing her to have abortion
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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!
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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.
More: We discuss more in the Member Podcast.
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
男猪脚天天和女猪脚琢磨剧本，朝夕相处，拍感情戏时还要肢体接触，拍好了还要带入感情 - The male lead and the female lead spend their days working on the script, being together day and night, engaging in physical contact during romantic scenes, and even bringing real emotions into their performances. [3]
Note: Internet slang for a male lead role in a TV show, especially romantic or love stories. Pig 猪 zhū sounds almost the same as main 主 zhǔ. Zoe discusses more in the Member Podcast.
Related: 女猪角 nǚ zhū jiǎo - female lead.
15. 烂摊子 làn tān zi
a mess, a chaotic situation
这一次，顶流“塌房”，第一个出来收拾烂摊子的，依然是顶流背后的女人 - This time, when the top celebrity "collapsed", the first one to come out and clean up the mess is still the woman behind him. [1]
Idioms
16. 唇寒齿亡 chún hán chǐ wáng
when lips are gone, the teeth will feel cold; mutually dependent relationship where the actions or fate of one affect the other
唇寒齿亡的关系，注定了“塌房”事件波及的，远不止是哪家的“哥哥” - The interdependent relationship of "when lips are gone, the teeth will feel cold" ensures that the impact of the "reputation collapse" incident extends far beyond just one male celebrity. [1]
17. 众星拱月 zhòng xīng gǒng yuè
stars surrounding the moon; many fans in admiration of a celebrity
“塌房”事件波及的还有偶像这套“众星拱月”模式下，每一个真心实意付出过情感和金钱的粉丝，以及重金“造星”的机构 - Under this "stars surrounding the moon" model of idol fandom, every fan who has sincerely devoted emotions and money, as well as the agencies that invest heavily in "star-making", is impacted by the scandal. [1]
18. 鱼死网破 yú sǐ wǎng pò
the fish caught in the net will do everything to break free (until it dies); a desperate situation when someone takes extreme measures to harm both parties
然后就撕破了面皮，鱼死网破 - And then, they burned the bridges and resorted to extreme measures. [3]
19. 莺莺燕燕 yīng yīng yàn yàn
sparrows and swallows; a group of beautiful and charming women
明星这种角色，恰恰又是身边莺莺燕燕，接触帅哥美女最多、受到诱惑也最多的一群人 - Celebrities are surrounded by beautiful and charming women, so they face the greatest temptations. [3]
20. 好景不长 hǎo jǐng bù cháng
good times don't last
但好景不长，2021年4月，蔡徐坤发行个人专辑《迷》，4个月销售额突破了8000万，专辑预告的11首歌曲，却只上线了5首，有的歌曲甚至连名字都没有，被大众称为“贷款发歌” - However, the good times didn't last long. In April 2021, Cai Xukun released his solo album "Mi," which achieved sales exceeding 80 million yuan in four months. Although the album was announced to have 11 songs, only 5 of them were released, and some songs didn't even have names. It was criticized by the public as "releasing songs on loan." [4]
21. 雾里看花 wù lǐ kàn huā
seeing flowers in the fog; things are not clear, perception is distorted or confused
选秀模式出道的偶像与大众文化之间，仍然存在巨大隔膜，互相都感觉在雾里看花 - There is still a huge gap between idols who debut through talent shows and what is accepted by the general public, and both sides feel like they are seeing flowers in the fog, with a distorted perception of each other. [4]
Phrases
22. 公序良俗 gōng xù liáng sú
public order and good customs; social norms and moral standards
他们放纵欲望无疑做错了，违背公序良俗了 - Indulgence of their desires undoubtedly was a mistake and went against public order and good customs. [3]
23. 桃色丑闻 táosè chǒuwén
sex scandal
“导致对方怀孕并逼迫其流产”，桃色丑闻迅速抢占了舆论中心 - The sex scandal involving causing pregnancy and coercing abortion quickly took center stage in public opinion. [4]
Note: We learned this two weeks ago when we discussed another sex scandal.
Related:
桃色新闻 - sex scandal
性丑闻 - sex scandal
24. 人心都是肉长的 rénxīn dōu shì ròu zhǎng de
hearts are made of flesh; people have emotions and empathy
“粉丝的心也是肉长的”，蔡徐坤和他的粉圈何去何从，目前还不可知 - "Fans' hearts are not made of stone." The future of Cai Xukun and his fanbase is still uncertain. [1]
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