Biaoqing: China’s Most Indispensible Meme“表情”：中国最不可或缺的模因

Somewhere between rage faces1 and reaction GIFs， “biaoqing” have evolved to become an essential part of the Chinese internet.

夹在“暴漫脸”与反应动图之间的“表情”已逐步演变为中国互联网的重要组成部分。

Linguists have found that human language， like bird song， may evolve to accommodate its environment through acoustic adaptation2. I believe that on the internet， a similar phenomenon happens to our visual languages： our memes hold something of the digital landscapes they proliferate in.

语言学家发现，人类的语言就像鸟鸣一样，可能会通过改变发声方式来适应周围环境。我认为，人类在互联网上的视觉语言也出现了类似现象：我们使用的模因承载着它们赖以繁衍壮大的数字化景观。

In China， the digitally-active keep folders of biaoqing， which literally means “facial expression.” In the digital world， biaoqing refers to any image that adds a visual and emotive layer to text-dominant online conversations： at its most expansive， it refers to everything from emoticons to reaction GIFs.

中国的网络活跃用户都存有“表情”文件夹，这个名称在字面上就是“面部表情”的意思。在互联网上，“表情”指的是为文字主导的线上对话增添视觉效果和情感内涵的所有图像。在最广义的层面上，从表情符号到反应动图，“表情”无所不包。

Though they’ve borrowed elements of memes from Reddit and 4chan3， biaoqing have evolved into a specific form unique to the Chinese internet， complete with its own traditions and conventions. Like other mature internet meme systems， biaoqing are a grassroots， fast-evolving visual vernacular that surfaces and catalogues the shared experiences and emotions of the Chinese interneting public， a Rosetta Stone4 of sorts for identifying and interpreting shared cultural references.

尽管借鉴了红迪网站和四叶网站上的模因元素，但如今“表情”已演变成中国互联网独有的特殊模因，自有一套传统和惯例。与其他成熟的网络模因系统一样，“表情”是一种发源于草根阶层并快速进化的视觉方言，展现并记录了中国网民的共同经历和情感共鸣。在某种程度上，“表情”如同罗塞塔石碑，能用于确立和解读群体共识共享的文化参照物。

Consider this an introductory guide to the Chinese biaoqing.

就当本文是一篇中国“表情”的入门指南吧。

Anatomy

剖析起源

Almost all biaoqing are made up of an image （or animation） and a caption. The text does most of the semantic heavy lifting; the visual component mostly indicates the overall tone， often in a slapstick way.

几乎所有的“表情”都由一张图像（或一段动画）和一句说明文字组成。传达语义信息的繁重工作大部分由文本承担，而视觉部分主要表明整体基调，通常以搞笑的形式表现。

Biaoqing feed on the rich substrate of contemporary media popular among internet users in China and distill all of it down into icons thick with meaning. The most literal of the lot are often screencaps from iconic TV shows， like the 1986 TV adaptation of Journey to the West and beloved ’90s historical comedy Huan Zhu Ge Ge.

当代深受中国网民欢迎的媒体中有五花八门的素材，“表情”从中汲取内容，并将其提炼成富有意味的图像符号。其中最直观的往往是经典电视剧的截图，比如1986年改编的电视剧《西游记》，以及1990年代风靡全中国的古装喜剧《还珠格格》。

Given China’s geographical and cultural proximity to Japan， it’s no surprise that otaku culture （referred to in China as “ACG” for Anime， Comics， Games） is massively popular， especially for young Chinese people born in and after the ’90s. Many biaoqing feature popular anime and manga characters as a result.

由于中国与日本是近邻，而且双方文化有相似之处，所以“御宅族文化”（在中国被称为ACG，即动画、漫画和游戏）在中国非常盛行也就不足为奇了，尤其在1990年代以及之后出生的中国年轻群体中受众颇广。因此，许多“表情”以热门动漫角色为主题。

But the majority of biaoqing （and the strain that’s the most uniquely Chinese） resemble a panda： distilled， iconic， a Photoshopped blend of photographic sources and crude illustration. The idea of rendering down recognizable figures into minimalist black-and-white facial expressions seems to have started as a Chinese response to rage faces， but an entirely separate pantheon has emerged.

然而，大多数（也是最具中国特色的）“表情”都很像熊猫——这种“表情”是在提炼出极具辨识度的元素后，用Photoshop将原始图片与粗糙插图融合而成。起初，用极简又抽象的黑白“面部表情”表现群体共同认知的形象似乎只是中国网民对“暴漫脸”的回应，但如今“表情”已盖成独属于自己的万神庙。

These standardized faces are sometimes combined with captions as-is5， but the real magic happens when they are crafted into a variety of outfits and settings to represent a wide range of emotions and situations.

这些标准化的面孔有时会原封不动地与说明文字搭配在一起。然而，一旦通过精心加工，将这些面孔与五花八门的服饰与场景元素融合，用以表现各种各样的情绪和情景，真正的魔力便会显现。

Biaoqing embody the same internet ugly aesthetic as their Rage Comics forebears—their creators and editors tend to use cut-and-paste or low-effort Microsoft Paint-style drawing with little regard for perfectionism. Because they’re used in apps that optimize images for mobile display， biaoqing are often heavily compressed over and over again， leaving them glitchy with enlargement and compression artifacts. Like a zine6 growing fuzzy with repeated photocopying， biaoqing deteriorate with use and modification.

与其灵感来源“暴走漫画”一样，“表情”也体现出互联网的审丑——创作者和编辑者制作“表情”，往往只是剪切粘贴或者用微软“画图”之类的软件随手一画，很少追求完美。为适应移动设备的显示屏，移动端应用程序会对图像进行优化，所以应用其中的“表情”经常被反复高度压缩，进而在缩放过程中出现瑕疵。就像一本爱好者杂志因反复影印而变得模糊不清，“表情”的画质也随着使用和编辑越来越差。

Sidenote： though their heyday is past in the US， rage faces and comics are still massively popular in China. In fact， Baozoumanhua （literally Rage Comic） is a company based in Xi’an that has built a small media empire around the concept， producing everything from videos explaining Chinese history using rage faces to a widely watched Daily Show-esque comedy news web series hosted by a host wearing a rage face mask.

旁注：尽管“暴漫脸”和“暴走漫画”在美国热度已退，但在中国仍然非常受人喜爱。总部位于西安的公司“暴走漫画”围绕“暴漫”这一主题发展壮大，成为网生内容巨头，旗下作品丰富多样，包括用“暴漫脸”讲解中国历史的连载视频，以及广受欢迎的网络搞笑新闻节目——这个节目模仿《每日秀》的形式，由顶着“暴漫脸”头套的主持人播报。