The World of Drag ... But in Mandarin
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Word of the week: 变装皇后 (Biànzhuāng huánghòu) - Drag Queen
Those of you who followed RuPaul’s 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 (妮妃雅).
This is a perfect occasion to learn some of the terms unique to the world of drag in Mandarin Chinese!
鲁保罗变装皇后秀 RuPaul's Drag Race
Let’s take this article from Vogue Taiwan as a base to learn some interesting vocabulary:
台湾之光！ 来自台湾，28岁的妮妃雅（Nymphia Wind）夺下美国实境电视节目《鲁保罗变装皇后秀 RuPaul's Drag Race》第16季冠军，成为该节目睽违13年，第二位夺冠的亚洲变装皇后，也是台湾第一人！
这档美国实境节目曾三十度获得艾美奖，你就可以知道这个长年不衰的节目有多么知名。 倘若你也是变装皇后的粉丝，一定也知道在《鲁保罗变装皇后秀 RuPaul’s Drag Race》的世界中有一些超级困难的挑战。 多才多艺的参赛者们必须使出洪荒之力，才可能在竞争激烈的赛程中拿下后冠。 除了要搞定自己的妆发，皇后们还要大跳「对嘴生死斗」（Lip Sync For Your Life），扛住「吐槽大会」（roasts）的辛辣笑点，玩「名人模仿秀」（Snatch Game）娱乐观众以及皇太后鲁保罗本人。 不过这些困难，都被来自台湾的变装皇后妮妃雅克服了！ 她以惊人的实力，毫无疑问地拿下冠军！
鲁保罗变装皇后秀 (Lǔbǎoluó biànzhuāng huánghòu xiù) - RuPaul's Drag Race
变装皇后 (Biànzhuāng huánghòu) - Drag Queen
他参加了变装皇后比赛，赢得了冠军。He participated in the drag queen competition and won the crown.
睽违 (Kuíwéi) - Separated for a period of time; here, it indicates the lack of Asian drag winners for 13 years
成为该节目睽违13年，第二位夺冠的亚洲变装皇后，也是台湾第一人！He became the second Asian drag queen to win the show in 13 years, and the first from Taiwan!
夺冠 (Duóguàn) - Win first place; take the crown
这支球队终于夺得了冠军。This team finally won the championship.
艾美奖 (ài měi jiǎng) - Emmy Awards
长年不衰 (Cháng nián bù shuāi) - Everlasting; lasting forever
你就可以知道这个长年不衰的节目有多么知名。You can see how famous this long-running show is.
倘若 (Tǎngruò) - If; in case (literary)
倘若你需要帮助，我会随时支持你。If you need help, I will support you anytime.
倘若你也是变装皇后的粉丝。If you are also a fan of drag queens.
洪荒 (Hónghuāng) - Chaotic state; primordial
这部小说描述了一个神话般的洪荒世界。This novel depicts a mythical primordial world.
多才多艺的参赛者们必须使出洪荒之力。The multi-talented contestants must pull out all the stops (lit. pull out their primodrial power).
搞定 (Gǎodìng) - Arrange; settle; fix up
他很快就搞定了这个问题。He quickly resolved the issue.
对嘴 (Duìzuǐ) - Lip-sync
这个配音员非常擅长对嘴。This voice actor is very skilled at lip-syncing.
吐槽 (Tǔcáo) - Roast (to humorously mock or humiliate someone)
模仿 (Mófǎng) - Imitate; copy; model oneself on
他喜欢模仿电影里的经典台词。He enjoys imitating classic lines from movies.
毫无 (Háowú) - Non; nothing
他毫无疑问是个天才。There is no doubt that he is a genius.
克服 (Kèfú) - Overcome (a hardship, a challenge)
不过这些困难，都被来自台湾的变装皇后妮妃雅克服了！However, these difficulties were overcome by Nymphia Wind, a drag queen from Taiwan!
反串 - A Traditional Chinese Art Form
Did you know that, in some ways, Drag Queens have existed in China for centuries?
The term 反串 (Fǎnchuàn) 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:
串，就是串角的意思。反，就是相反，男的反义词是女。女的反义词是男。但传统意义上的反串不单是指男扮女，或女扮男，通常是指那些具备才艺的演员登台表演与自身本工的行当不同的戏才能被称之为反串。
串, refers to the meaning of cross-dressing. 反, 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 “Farewell My Concubine“
And remember:
自己都不爱自己，别人凭什么爱你！If you can't love yourself how in the hell you gonna love somebody else!
Antoine & Dorota