chinese cultural context for moments in cql — a helpful thread! #陈情令 https://twitter.com/hobis_pouch/status/1216918120385789952

will be adding to this thread as i rewatch cql ~ feel free to ask questions! i can address

names hold high significance in chinese culture, they represent aspirations & blessings. best boy lsz’s name is one of my faves, his name 愿 (yuàn) means ‘wish’ & 思追 (sī zhuī) means ‘to chase thought’

at the beginning, everyone simply calls wwx moxuanyu. sizhui is the only one that addresses him as 莫公子 (mògōngzǐ). 公子 (gōngzǐ) is a term that indicates decent respect for a man. lsz best boy

titles r v important in chinese culture! they indicate respect & position. here lsz calls wwx 莫前辈 (mòqiánbèi), which means ‘senior mo.’ ‘senior’ is an incredibly respectful way to address an older, experienced person. lsz is the only one that has this level of respect for him

wwx calls lwj 小古板 (xiǎogǔbǎn) which translates to ‘old-fashioned person.’ i’ve seen sources translate this to ‘fuddy-duddy’ but i present an alternative — boomer

wwx really calls lwj 机兄 (jīxiōng) multiple times at the beginning hdjdjsjsj the name translates to ‘ji bro’ but it’s a homophone for 鸡胸, ‘chicken breast’

proof that wwx definitely calls lwj ‘chicken breast’ on purpose: for everyone else he uses their last name, ie he calls niehuaisang ‘bro nie,’ but instead of calling lwj ‘bro lan,’ he Has to say ‘bro ji’ aka chicken breast

one of the gayest hidden moments of cql. when lwj grabs him wwx says 拉拉扯扯成何体统. this means ‘it’s improper to grab each other like this.’ may seem like simply calling out misbehavior, but when has wwx ever been one to do that? this phrase is actually a common flirting trope

the phrase wwx uses here 拉拉扯扯成何体统 is closely associated w another phrase 搂搂抱抱卿卿我我 which means excessive physical contact, like hugs, between lovers. wwx is basically trying to annoy lwj by implying improper flirtatious behavior. fellas

one of the best flirting tropes. wwx grinds ink for lwj as lwj writes. in ancient chinese dramas, this is one of the softest tropes. grinding ink requires great patience, often represents that one is willing to wait for another’s feelings, supporting them from the side. soft gays

noticed this rewatching. jc says ‘no one’s saving ur ass this time’ he uses 收尸 ‘collect your corpse for funeral’ to describe saving wwx‘s ass. wwx says ‘u alr collected my corpse so many times, pls once more.’ makes me think of jc actually looking for wwx’s corpse those 16yrs..

based on the confucian principle 身体发肤受之父母不敢毁伤孝之始也, scars r Really Bad in chinese culture. it’s just another motivator for wwx to get rid of them as mxy. scars r so Bad, yet lwj, one so strict in principles, is still readily willing to take them for his wwx . ... .

lwj thought wwx was absolutely ridiculous for naming his sword 随便 (suíbiàn) or ‘whatever.’ lwj expressed it by calling wwx unruly. shows on the contrary just how much thought lwj puts into names, how important he thinks they r. thus, when he names lsz :( https://twitter.com/hobis_pouch/status/1217614685991661568?s=21 https://twitter.com/hobis_pouch/status/1217614685991661568

sharing Just How Flirty this scene was. wwx playfully calls lwj 蓝二 (lánèr) or ‘second lan,’ asking lwj to call him 魏哥哥 (wèigēgē) or ‘wei bro.’ 哥哥 is standard for ‘older bro’ now, but in ancient times in china it‘d be an overly casual term. used here, wwx is Big Flirting

for comparison: 哥哥 (gēgē) is never used ourside of this scene in the drama. it’s always 兄 (xiōng) or 兄长 (xiōngzhǎng) or 大哥 (dàgē) etc. bc gege is too playful & flirty (for ancient times). but not for wwx!

wwx offers lwj 枇杷 (loquats). traditionally in chinese culture, loquats symbolize wishes for a happy marriage & family. seems like wwx is implying something here. when lwj returns the loquat, wwx says lwj 没情调 which means ‘lacks emotional/romantic appeal.’ o the gay intentions

this is the first time they refer to each other as 知己 (soulmate). although translated to ‘soulmate,’ 知己 (zhījǐ) holds more meaning in chinese culture — someone that understands you deeply. right in front of lqr & lxc’s salads https://twitter.com/hobis_pouch/status/1216392754562912256?s=21

wwx says 独孤求败. my fave xianxia/wuxia trope. it means wwx‘s so skilled, wins so much that he’s bored & looking for an opponent to lose to. in chinese literature, this person often becomes their one & only. here wwx says he admires lwj bc he is the one that can match up to him.

as if his deep admiration for lwj weren’t obvious enough in words, jc’s reaction seals the deal. jc basically calls wwx 不要脸 which is literally ‘not caring about face,’ meaning shameless. this phrase 不要脸 is often used when someone is shamelessly overly flirting/romantic

this scene makes me think of yanli’s name. her name is 厌离 (yànlí). 厌 means ‘to hate,’ 离 means ‘departure.’ her name means ‘to despise leaving those she loves.’ it’s evident in yanli’s endless compassion. makes me ache for all of the times she had to say goodbye.

after creating a spell to keep them connected, wwx wonders what he should name it. he suggests 无衣 (wúyī) then 同袍 (tóngpáo). these come from the phrase 岂曰无衣 与子同袍 which refers to the beauty of enduring life together with a partner, even if life’s tough. the Flirtation

wanted to share this expression bc i really like the imagery. when scolding her younger brother, wenqing says 当耳旁风. it means ‘to ignore my words as wind that passes by the ear.’ my chinese mom also says this to me often

chinese concept 公私分明 — people have clear boundaries b/w public/private (公/私). related to 面子, it’s seen as improper to discuss familial affairs outside of family/close friends. here wwx draws a strict line excluding lwj from private affairs, forcibly distancing them :(

lwj calls wwx 魏婴, the most intimate name, fitting their close relationship. but wwx forces distance between them w 蓝二公子 (overly formal for them) & even further to 含光君, the highest tier of formality. it’s so formal that in this context it’s a slap in the face. devastation

OOF here wwx addresses lwj with 您. 您 is the formal version of ‘you’ in chinese, it’s the absolute highest level of formality you can hold with someone, way too excessive even for acquaintances. wwx uses it to indicate that he wants lwj to stay far away from him

this broke me. when yanli heard 师姐, even without looking, she knew it could only be wwx. 师姐 means older non-biological sister under the same teacher/father, & wwx is the only person in the world who addresses her that way. she hadn’t heard 师姐 in all the time he was gone

after the jiang massacre, u can see yanli starts wearing 麻布. in ancient china, those of higher status (like yanli/their family) wore finer robes & commoners wore 麻布, coarser & fit for work. yanli in 麻布 shows just how hard she’s working to rebuild their sect. best girl

in chinese culture, white is the color of mourning. it’s tradition in ancient china to wear a white band across the forehead. it’s disrespectful to hold any form of celebration during the mourning period, the jiang sibs & wwx wear white to the banquet to indicate mourning.

wwx’s only wearing inner robes! historically in china they‘re Very strict regarding what clothing is presentable to outsiders, inner robes are Definitely NOT. but yanli lets lwj in even while wwx is indecent, indicating both she & wwx regard lwj as someone v intimate w wwx. hehe

when lxc explains to wwx that lwj is learning guqin pieces for him, lxc uses 用意, or ‘intention,’ to say that wwx should understand lwj’s intentions. although the definition of 用意 is neutral, the phrase is often used in contexts of romantic interest/motives! the gay diction!

a core principle of chinese culture here. lxc says wwx‘s 过于自我, or ‘overly individual.’ wwx is viewed as morally flawed for being individualistic. in chinese society even today, the family/community is the highest entity. wwx’s individual actions have communal consequences.

this is their family’s 祠堂 (ancestral temple). closely tied to confucian culture of 孝 (filial piety), they are very important for chinese families. chinese traditionally honor lineages here. yanli is polishing a 牌位 (ancestral tablet) in honor of her parents.

such a powerful scene! what makes it is that in her statements, 厌离 uses very formal, proper diction. for example, she uses 您, the most formal, respectful way of addressing someone. since she uses it in argument, it presents her as highly levelheaded & resolute. best girl