Footnotes

Footnotes

 

1. A common Chinese meme. This is a deliberately (and entertainingly) bad translation of the phrase 你行你上,不行别比比. Basically, “If you’re capable, then you do it; if you’re not, then stfu.”

 

2. 深宅大院 refers to the complicated courtyard compounds of rich families in old China. Generally, once a concubine enters a family, they can’t leave this area, which can contribute to bitterness and a feeling of being trapped.

 

3. According to legend, the emperor demanded the poet Cao Zhi compose a poem within seven steps to prove he was innocent of treason. Describes extraordinary literary talent.

 

4. Nickname for actress Wang Lin, after the character she played in the Chinese soap opera Romance in the Rain. One of her most famous scenes involves her banging on the door to confront the girl who stole her fiancé.

 

5. More commonly known as the Daode Jing, a famous classical text on the philosophy and religion of Daoism by Laozi.

 

6. Originally “this is blinding my dog-eyes.” “Dog” is commonly used as a curse, similar to “damn” in English.

 

7. 文无第一，武无第二. Scholars must uphold modesty and so can’t claim first place, while martial artists are all about competition and so only first place matters to them.

 

8. 甄嬛传, English name Empresses in the Palace, is a 2011 television series centered on harem scheming and infighting.

 

9. A ghostly character who appeared in the Japanese horror movie Ringu; famous for her long, bedraggled black hair, which obscured her face.

 

10. The word “shang” can mean “to go to” in the sense of “going to a university,” so the name Shang Qinghua read aloud sounds like “goes to Qinghua University.” Qinghua (or Tsinghua) University and Beijing University are two top schools sometimes referred to as “the MIT and Harvard of China.”

 

11. Refers to Shandong Lanxiang Vocational School and New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. They’re well known because of their ads, so this is a derogatory reference.

 

12. Reference to an ability in the series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED that allows someone to enter an enhanced state.

 

13. Shortened form of Japanese “chuunibyou,” or “middle school second-year disease.” Describes people who are “edgy” or have delusions of grandeur. Used as a loanword in the Chinese text.

 

14. A widely-used Chinese instant messaging app, which also offers various entertainment services.