The World of Drag ... But in Mandarin
๐๏ธ๐๐๏ธ๐
Word of the week: ๅ่ฃ
็ๅ (Biร nzhuฤng huรกnghรฒu) - Drag Queen
Those of you who followed RuPaulโs Drag Race Season 16 probably already know (otherwise, sorry for the spoiler) that the winner of the competition is a Taiwanese-American contestant named Nymphia Wind (ๅฆฎๅฆ้ ).
This is a perfect occasion to learn some of the terms unique to the world of drag in Mandarin Chinese!
้ฒไฟ็ฝๅ่ฃ
็ๅ็ง RuPaul's Drag Race
Letโs take this article from Vogue Taiwan as a base to learn some interesting vocabulary:
ๅฐๆนพไนๅ ๏ผ ๆฅ่ชๅฐๆนพ๏ผ28ๅฒ็ๅฆฎๅฆ้ ๏ผNymphia Wind๏ผๅคบไธ็พๅฝๅฎๅข็ต่ง่็ฎใ้ฒไฟ็ฝๅ่ฃ ็ๅ็ง โโRuPaul's Drag Raceใ็ฌฌ16ๅญฃๅ ๅ๏ผๆไธบ่ฏฅ่็ฎ็ฝ่ฟ13ๅนด๏ผ็ฌฌไบไฝๅคบๅ ็ไบๆดฒๅ่ฃ ็ๅ๏ผไนๆฏๅฐๆนพ็ฌฌไธไบบ๏ผ
่ฟๆกฃ็พๅฝๅฎๅข่็ฎๆพไธๅๅบฆ่ทๅพ่พ็พๅฅ๏ผไฝ ๅฐฑๅฏไปฅ็ฅ้่ฟไธช้ฟๅนดไธ่กฐ็่็ฎๆๅคไน็ฅๅใ ๅ่ฅไฝ ไนๆฏๅ่ฃ ็ๅ็็ฒไธ๏ผไธๅฎไน็ฅ้ๅจใ้ฒไฟ็ฝๅ่ฃ ็ๅ็ง โโRuPaulโs Drag Raceใ็ไธ็ไธญๆไธไบ่ถ ็บงๅฐ้พ็ๆๆใ ๅคๆๅค่บ็ๅ่ต่ ไปฌๅฟ ้กปไฝฟๅบๆดช่ไนๅ๏ผๆๅฏ่ฝๅจ็ซไบๆฟ็็่ต็จไธญๆฟไธๅๅ ใ ้คไบ่ฆๆๅฎ่ชๅทฑ็ๅฆๅ๏ผ็ๅไปฌ่ฟ่ฆๅคง่ทณใๅฏนๅด็ๆญปๆใ๏ผLip Sync For Your Life๏ผ๏ผๆไฝใๅๆงฝๅคงไผใ๏ผroasts๏ผ็่พ่พฃ็ฌ็น๏ผ็ฉใๅไบบๆจกไปฟ็งใ๏ผSnatch Game๏ผๅจฑไน่งไผไปฅๅ็ๅคชๅ้ฒไฟ็ฝๆฌไบบใ ไธ่ฟ่ฟไบๅฐ้พ๏ผ้ฝ่ขซๆฅ่ชๅฐๆนพ็ๅ่ฃ ็ๅๅฆฎๅฆ้ ๅ ๆไบ๏ผ ๅฅนไปฅๆไบบ็ๅฎๅ๏ผๆฏซๆ ็้ฎๅฐๆฟไธๅ ๅ๏ผ
้ฒไฟ็ฝๅ่ฃ ็ๅ็ง (Lวbวoluรณ biร nzhuฤng huรกnghรฒu xiรน) - RuPaul's Drag Race
ๅ่ฃ ็ๅ (Biร nzhuฤng huรกnghรฒu) - Drag Queen
ไปๅๅ ไบๅ่ฃ ็ๅๆฏ่ต๏ผ่ตขๅพไบๅ ๅใHe participated in the drag queen competition and won the crown.
็ฝ่ฟ (Kuรญwรฉi) - Separated for a period of time; here, it indicates the lack of Asian drag winners for 13 years
ๆไธบ่ฏฅ่็ฎ็ฝ่ฟ13ๅนด๏ผ็ฌฌไบไฝๅคบๅ ็ไบๆดฒๅ่ฃ ็ๅ๏ผไนๆฏๅฐๆนพ็ฌฌไธไบบ๏ผHe became the second Asian drag queen to win the show in 13 years, and the first from Taiwan!
ๅคบๅ (Duรณguร n) - Win first place; take the crown
่ฟๆฏ็้็ปไบๅคบๅพไบๅ ๅใThis team finally won the championship.
่พ็พๅฅ (ร i mฤi jiวng) - Emmy Awards
้ฟๅนดไธ่กฐ (Chรกng niรกn bรน shuฤi) - Everlasting; lasting forever
ไฝ ๅฐฑๅฏไปฅ็ฅ้่ฟไธช้ฟๅนดไธ่กฐ็่็ฎๆๅคไน็ฅๅใYou can see how famous this long-running show is.
ๅ่ฅ (Tวngruรฒ) - If; in case (literary)
ๅ่ฅไฝ ้่ฆๅธฎๅฉ๏ผๆไผ้ๆถๆฏๆไฝ ใIf you need help, I will support you anytime.
ๅ่ฅไฝ ไนๆฏๅ่ฃ ็ๅ็็ฒไธใIf you are also a fan of drag queens.
ๆดช่ (Hรณnghuฤng) - Chaotic state; primordial
่ฟ้จๅฐ่ฏดๆ่ฟฐไบไธไธช็ฅ่ฏ่ฌ็ๆดช่ไธ็ใThis novel depicts a mythical primordial world.
ๅคๆๅค่บ็ๅ่ต่ ไปฌๅฟ ้กปไฝฟๅบๆดช่ไนๅใThe multi-talented contestants must pull out all the stops (lit. pull out their primodrial power).
ๆๅฎ (Gวodรฌng) - Arrange; settle; fix up
ไปๅพๅฟซๅฐฑๆๅฎไบ่ฟไธช้ฎ้ขใHe quickly resolved the issue.
ๅฏนๅด (Duรฌzuว) - Lip-sync
่ฟไธช้ ้ณๅ้ๅธธๆ ้ฟๅฏนๅดใThis voice actor is very skilled at lip-syncing.
ๅๆงฝ (Tวcรกo) - Roast (to humorously mock or humiliate someone)
ๆจกไปฟ (Mรณfวng) - Imitate; copy; model oneself on
ไปๅๆฌขๆจกไปฟ็ตๅฝฑ้็็ปๅ ธๅฐ่ฏใHe enjoys imitating classic lines from movies.
ๆฏซๆ (Hรกowรบ) - Non; nothing
ไปๆฏซๆ ็้ฎๆฏไธชๅคฉๆใThere is no doubt that he is a genius.
ๅ ๆ (Kรจfรบ) - Overcome (a hardship, a challenge)
ไธ่ฟ่ฟไบๅฐ้พ๏ผ้ฝ่ขซๆฅ่ชๅฐๆนพ็ๅ่ฃ ็ๅๅฆฎๅฆ้ ๅ ๆไบ๏ผHowever, these difficulties were overcome by Nymphia Wind, a drag queen from Taiwan!
ๅไธฒ - A Traditional Chinese Art Form
Did you know that, in some ways, Drag Queens have existed in China for centuries?
The term ๅไธฒ (Fวnchuร n) translates to "Cross-dressing," and it is a practice deeply rooted in traditional theater in China. Originally meant to describe an actor taking on a role that is not his or hers, it gradually evolved to refer to men playing the roles of female characters.
Interestingly, while the practice seems quite progressive, it actually was popularized following a gender discriminatory policy promulgated during the Qing Dynasty. In fact, in 1671, during the rule of Emperor Kangxi, the government started prohibiting women from performing in theater. This pushed male actors to take on the roles of female characters.
Here is the definition of the term privided by Baike Baidu:
ไธฒ๏ผๅฐฑๆฏไธฒ่ง็ๆๆใๅ๏ผๅฐฑๆฏ็ธๅ๏ผ็ท็ๅไน่ฏๆฏๅฅณใๅฅณ็ๅไน่ฏๆฏ็ทใไฝไผ ็ปๆไนไธ็ๅไธฒไธๅๆฏๆ็ทๆฎๅฅณ๏ผๆๅฅณๆฎ็ท๏ผ้ๅธธๆฏๆ้ฃไบๅ ทๅคๆ่บ็ๆผๅ็ปๅฐ่กจๆผไธ่ช่บซๆฌๅทฅ็่กๅฝไธๅ็ๆๆ่ฝ่ขซ็งฐไนไธบๅไธฒใ
ไธฒ, refers to the meaning of cross-dressing. ๅ, means opposite, the opposite of male is female. The opposite of female is male. But traditionally, cross-dressing does not just refer to men dressing as women, or women dressing as men, usually it refers to those talented actors who perform on stage in roles different from their own profession, which can be called cross-dressing.
To dive more into this tradition, we highly recommend for you to watch the movie โFarewell My Concubineโ
And remember:
่ชๅทฑ้ฝไธ็ฑ่ชๅทฑ๏ผๅซไบบๅญไปไน็ฑไฝ ๏ผIf you can't love yourself how in the hell you gonna love somebody else!
Antoine & Dorota