Course:ASIA319/2024/"Couple Pairing" (嗑CP)

Introduction

嗑CP Character

嗑CP is an internet slang that is commonly used in colloquial Mandarin that is defined as desire for fictional characters to become a couple. It is the shipping of two fictional or non-fictional characters, where fans create a relationship based on their personal fantasies (Zhou et al., 2022:1). Additionally, it is an informal type of speech that is often used in fan ships of certain popular culture media, such as movies or dramas where fans can fantasize over a relationship between two characters. It is a fictional relationship created by fans who are obsessed with an intimate relationship between the characters, which can be either completely fictional or based on reality (Zhou et al., 2022:1). Moreover, it often is a way for fans to depict same-sex romantic relationships between their favourite characters (Zhou et al., 2022:7). As the 嗑CP fan culture is primarily comprised of female fanning over male celebrities, the majority of the shipped couples are between two males. 嗑CP is an important keyword as it shines light on internet culture in popular culture amongst fan clubs, specifically on the fantasies of same-sex relationships. Furthermore, it highlights the social identity of sexuality and feminism as a resisting force on traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, 嗑CP is a keyword that reflects the deep personal desires of Chinese consumers. In this project, we will examine the implications in contemporary Chinese popular culture, and the social, cultural, and political problems through the usage of 嗑CP.

The genesis of the keyword

嗑CP first emerged in popular culture in a virtual context such as with comics, animations, or video games (Zhou et al., 2022:1) . However, it gradually extended to pairing characters in the real world such as TV shows. The “CP” literally stands for “couple pairing” in English. It is a way for fans to fantasize about their favourite celebrities together in a romantic relationship and to develop their fan identity. Due to how CP fans mostly consist of the internet, it is only a term that became popular in recent years with the internet (Zhou et al., 2022:1). Furthermore, the CP fandom in China attracted publicity on social media. However, it is often negatively portrayed due to conflict between CP fans and non-CP fans, also known as only-fans (Zhou et al., 2022:2). The term grew in popularity on social media as it created a sense of identity among fans. According to empirical studies, fandom identity can be beneficial as fans can gain social status and a sense of belonging to a group (Zhou et al., 2022:2). However, these benefits come with a price as it can also create fan conflicts. Another way that the term became popular is that fans could express topics such as feminism and gender politics through the shipping behaviour (Zhou et al., 2022:2). As the demographic mainly consists of females, researchers have suggested that the shipping behaviour satisfies women’s needs of reassurance and need for intimate relationships (Zhou et al., 2022:14). In sum, 嗑CP became popular in Chinese popular culture as it allowed for fans to feel a sense of fandom identity while also creating a space for gender expression and satisfying intimate needs of romance.

Glossary of its explicit dictionary meanings

Etymology/Dictionary and Contemporary Meaning

Historically, the verb 嗑 means to crack, chew or gnaw. The English definition of 嗑 is “to crack (seeds) between one’s teeth”. It is written the same for both simplified and traditional Chinese.

However, in modern slang, 嗑 means behaviours that portray obsession or indulgence. This created a transition of the word to mean obsessing over in a fandom, which gradually created a definition of shipping a couple. As CP fans have this fantasizing over the intimate relationships and interactions of their preferred pairings, the contemporary definition of this word is related to the informal Chinese verb of 嗑, which means addicted to drugs (Zhou et al., 2022:1). Therefore, CP fans are not simply just like general fans that find pleasure in their celebrities, but it is the strong desire for a pair of fictional characters to become a couple.

An elaboration of its variegated meanings, actual usages, and value-loaded implications

The multiple explicit meanings and implicit connections people make when use the keywords to discuss their everyday experiences and popular culture scenes

The term “嗑CP” is widely used in the internet world as well as in people's daily lives. For example, when a couple does something that makes people feel sweet, they can be said to “嗑CP." Another context in which it is used is when viewers like the chemistry between two stars on a program, they can be said to “嗑CP." In the picture on the left, fans are “嗑CP." They have edited out this video clip of a Chinese actress Xin Zhi Lei helping her good friend Qin Lan put on a ring(Huanhuanxixixihuanni,2023). They love the interaction between the two and use it to romanticize their relationship.

Synonyms, antonyms and hypernyms

“嗑到了” is a derivative of "嗑CP," which is used when people feel that there is a unique chemistry between two people, or that the way two people get along can seal a romantic relationship. However the “couple” don't necessarily need to be in an actual romantic relationship. Another word, “拆CP” that conveys the opposite meaning, which means to take one person from an existing “couple” and pair them up with another person to form a new couple. Similar to CP is the term CB, which is used to describe the relationship between two people who are mainly in a friendship outside of CP.

Counterpart term

Shipping a couple is the English version of 嗑CP, where shipping comes from the word relationships, a phrase meaning to create an ambiguous relationship for two people.

Multiple meanings in their distinct contexts

In English, the term ‘shipping a couple’ emphasizes the active role of fans in shaping the ‘relationship’, suggesting that the romantic connection is largely created by the imagination and involvement of fans. In contrast, the Chinese term 嗑CP downplays the role of fans in the relationship, conveying that the connection already exists. Fans seem to enjoy and support a relationship from a spectator's point of view rather than actively constructing the relationship. This cultural difference not only reflects the different ways in which language is used, but also reveals the relationship between fans and their works. In English-speaking cultures, fan involvement is much more pronounced, as they influence the fate or direction of characters through the creation of companion pieces, discussions, and voting. This interactivity makes fans not only observers but also co-creators of the story.

Comparatively speaking, in the Chinese context, 嗑CP tends to emphasize more on the appreciation and support of existing relationships(Zhang et al., 2021:162). Fans express their preferences by discussing the chemistry and interaction scenes between the characters(Zhang et al., 2021:162). The way female readers empathize with the text has shifted from acting as the female protagonist to acting as a bystander to a close relationship(Zhang et al., 2021:162).

In conclusion, the differences in the roles played by fans in these two cultures reflect different social backgrounds and cultural values, which in turn affect the way they understand and engage with the characters and stories. Such differences deserve further study, especially in the context of globalization and how to promote intercultural exchange and understanding.

Transferred, distorted, or subverted meaning of the keyword

Xiao Zhan and Wei Wuxian in The Untamed

In the phrase 嗑cp,“cp” is an abbreviation of the English word “couple”, which is often used to describe, for example, people who are married, engaged, or in a sexual or romantic relationship who are close and formally confirmed in a romantic relationship, but in the Chinese context, cp has been generalized. Any partner that fans fantasize about having a relationship with, whether it be unrequited love, a flirtatious relationship or even a very close relationship, is defined as a couple, and in Chinese secondary and idol culture, “cp” is gradually being given a new meaning that goes beyond the traditional definition of a romantic relationship. Fans express their support and fantasize about the relationship between characters or stars by 嗑cp, whether or not the relationship is officially recognized. This shift demonstrates how fans can reshape the meaning of language in specific cultural contexts. With the popularization of social media, the term has become even more popular as fans share their experiences of being 嗑cp online. It is not only limited to the circle of fans, but also gradually penetrates into the wider social communication, influencing the language use of young people. This phenomenon can be observed in many countries and regions, especially in Chinese communities outside of China. The shift in vocabulary is not only a linguistic migration, but also a reflection of cultural identity and social dynamics. With the globalization of Chinese culture, words such as “cp” are becoming part of cross-cultural dialogues, showing how people redefine and use language in different cultural contexts.

嗑CP is positively portrayed amongst the CP fans. It is a community where fans get to connect with each other about their interests. Furthermore, it also creates a sense of identity and belonging for CP fans. However, the term 嗑CP unfortunately often gets subverted to a negative connotation, especially amongst the non-CP fans of the celebrity(Tang, 2023:294). The 227 incident is an infamous example of conflict that can arise among fans from creating fictional relationships that go against the heteronormative standards (Tang, 2023:294). The incident occurred with the airing of the Chinese drama The Untamed, which is a BL (boy’s love genre). CP fans of the two male leads, Xiao Zhan and Wei Wuxian, created fanfictions on an international fan creation platform called Archive of Our Own (A03) (Tang, 2023:294). Tensions between CP fans and “only-fans,” who are fans of the celebrity themselves, occurred as Xiao was casted as a feminized sex worker with gender dysphoria in a fanfiction. Consequently, the only-fans orchestrated a campaign against the CP fans to remove the fanfiction. As a result, the Chinese government blocked the Archive of Our Own (Tang, 2023:294). This conflict led to various fans of other celebrities deprived of their content and therefore became anti-fans of Xiao. Unfortunately, Xiao had to block his social media accounts and also temporarily stop acting. Therefore, this incident highlighted how CP fans are seen as irrational and immature media consumers. “Given that “fangirl” (粉/饭圈女孩) has been used as a derogatory word on the Chinese internet, shippers are further scoffed at as “daydreamers” and excoriated for violating heteronormativity,” which additionally shows the negative portrayal of CP fans (Tang. 2023:294). The 227 incident exacerbated the negativity towards fans, especially CP fans which had political and social implications on the celebrity and the platforms that gave fans access to their interests (Tang, 2023,305). In sum, the meaning of 嗑CP subverted from its original connotation of fan ship to a derogatory term.

International reception and appropriation of the keyword? Chinese VS Western Meanings

Slash Fiction in Star Trek

The meaning and fan culture behind 嗑CP is not only unique to China. Slash fiction is a genre of fanfiction between two same-sex characters that focuses on the romantic or sexual relationship (Floegel, 2020:785). While slash fiction was believed to originate during the late 1960’s during the airing of Star Trek, it became more common with the accessibility of the internet. The internet allowed authors to publish freely without having to worry about finding a publisher. It also allowed for fans to read the fanfictions for lower costs and at home in private. Similar to 嗑CP, slash fiction is written by fans based off the original storylines and characters but with alterations in perspectives, timelines, and romantic combinations. Additionally, like 嗑CP fans, slash fanfiction fans are also looked down upon as a fruitless activity. However, both 嗑CP and slash fans believe that consuming such content creates a bond in the community as “agentically-driven actions” of diverse cultures and representations (Floegel, 2020:787). Both 嗑CP and slash fans are able to fantasize over their favourite celebrities and express their interests that are against the heteronormative standards of mass media. The symbolic meaning of a slash is that it is used to separate two names in a romantic pairing, which is where the name of slash fiction is derived from. Although it was first used to portray a relationship between 2 males at first, the term has become more broad in that it also includes female relationships. However, the majority of slash fiction consumers are females. Therefore, the migration of 嗑CP to English as slash fiction are very similar to each other as they both represent the romantic shipping of two characters in a fictional context with the predominant demographic of female consumers.

Real person slash, or RPS for short, is like a sub-genre of slash fiction and conveys stories about two characters using real-life portrayals of the celebrities (Guo, 2022:485). However, unlike slash fiction where it is a fictional relationship, RPS is regarding real people such as celebrities. RPS fans create homosexual fantasies of two male celebrities like CP fans (Guo, 2022:485). Furthermore, many scholars argue that RPS fans use the genre as a way to portray their own fictional fantasies of the celebrities (Guo, 2022:486). For example, fans often point out the interactions and the bromance in interviews, in which fans write their stories about. However, many scholars argue that RPS is not actually real and more fictional as fans often purposely find social media interactions that lead them to prove that the celebrities are dating(Guo, 2022: 487). A similarity between CP and RPS is that both fans make art such as stories, posts, and paintings of their desired pair. Another similarity is the pleasure fans find in imagining in these productions. Lastly, both are controversial fandom topics amongst scholars and the public as they both involve homosexual queerness and celebrities' personal lives(Guo, 2022:486). In sum, RPS and CP are similar as they both involve creating a romantic relationship between two male celebrities. However, while RPS focuses on finding evidence for a relationship between two celebrities, CP focuses on a fictional relationship, which highlights how differently these terms mean in Western versus Chinese culture.

Social, cultural, and political problems

The culture of  “磕CP” highlights various social, cultural, and political dynamics including the conflicts among fans, the tension between collectivist and individualistic ideologies, and the development of feminism within the Chinese context.

Firstly, 嗑CP might result in social conflicts among fans, especially between solo fans and CP fans, which primarily arise from their differing attitudes and the perceived roles they believe they play in the romantic relationships of their idol(s) (Song, 2021:26).  As discussed in Song’s thesis, solo fans tend to fantasize a romantic couple relationship with a celebrity in which they dislike any third-party, while CP fans enjoy pairing the celerity with another celebrity as if they were in a romantic relationship, which often offends solo fans (Song, 2021:20). Their conflict could also be related to reinforcement of self-identities, ingroup preference, and outgroup bias (Song, 2021:31). Song explains in the thesis that a fan might start out liking a certain celebrity because of appearance, and in the process of learning more about her/him, the fan will meet others who like the same celebrity and form groups of their own (Song, 2021:20). Eventually, through all the interactions and communication within the groups, they will develop a sense of social recognition, belonging, as well as preference towards ingroup members and bias towards outgroup individuals and ideas, which all account for a fan’s long-lasting passion on a celebrity (Song, 2021:20). Therefore, through defending the fiction relationship between two celebrities against those solo fans, who they believe are trying to claim the celebrities all to her/his own,  the CP is showing dedication to the community and reinforce their identity as a loyal member to the community and a loyal fan in the form of social conflict (Song, 2021:26). Typically, fan conflicts occur in form of online arguments, in which fans criticize and attack an opposing fan group using insulting words and derogatory nicknames (Song, 2021:27). For instance, a term CP fans commonly use against solo fans is “毒唯(poisonous solo fans)” (Song, 2021:27). In addition to insults, CP fans use other strategies such as to condemn the unrealistic feelings of solo fans have towards the celebrity, and stigmatize the larger solo fan group by magnifying the mistakes made by some in that group (Song, 2021:28).

Secondly, 嗑CP also reflect cultural tension between collective ideologies and the emerging individualistic values among Chinese young adults, as they focus more on their personal experience in 嗑CP than their group identity (Zhou et al., 2022:8). In other words, the individualistic characteristics in 嗑CP behavior are reflected in CP fans choosing the couple they want to ship as well as their behavior pattern in 嗑CP (Zhou et al., 2022:8). Also, compared to the state official culture in China that stresses on more on collective needs, CP fans focuses on getting emotional support and personal pleasure from supporting their celebrity couples or searching for any evidence that might prove their romantic relationship (Guo, 2023:495). According to Dang’s study, to the question “would you like your CP to be recognized by the official or mainstream culture”, 51.55% of the participants stay neutral and do not want CP culture to suffer from cultural castration, and 24.22% claim that it is “unnecessary to keep up with the mainstream culture and should be free to the maximum extent” (Dang, 2023:145). This depicts how fans acknowledge that their culture is in conflict with the mainstream culture and would not want it to be cancelled.

In addition to social conflicts and cultural tensions, 嗑CP also illustrates the advancement of the political movement of feminism in the Chinese context. As Chinese young females pay more attention on personal well-being, 嗑CP serves as an optimal way to meet their emotional needs (Dang, 2023:64). For instance, shipping couple requires far less effort and risk than real-life relationships, and at the same time brings thrill and pleasure (Dang, 2023:66). Especially in a society where women are oppressed and are suffering from “unrelieved emotional tensions”, an emotional support or a stress outlet, such as 嗑CP, becomes essential to Chinese young females (Dang, 2023:92). Moreover, the 2011 Marriage Law Reform restricted women’s access to property after divorce and increased women’ s pressure to marry (Dang, 2023:67). As a result, more Chinese females barely have any other options but to look for an alternative to compensate for their need for intimacy, which is 嗑CP in this case (Dang, 2023:67).  Aside from 嗑CP as an emotional outlet or source of intimacy, the advancement of feminism in China is also indicated by Chinese young females’ rebellion and resistance to traditional norms via 嗑CP (Dang, 2023:60). Dang discussed in the study that, as many heterosexual young women resist the traditional norms of marriage and love as well as the social responsibilities that are imposed on them, they refuse to start and maintain an intimate relationship in person (Dang, 2023:66). In other words, 嗑CP can also be a way of resisting the traditional ideologies that oppress women (Dang, 2023:92). Last but not least, 嗑CP is related to one of the most important aspects of Chinese feminism movement, which is female-gaze. According to Dang, CP fans enjoy homoerotic CP fanarts for the “provocative mental pleasure of subverting the male gaze”, and instead enact female gaze at men by manipulating their sexuality, orientation, and body portrayal, through various CP fan works or female interpretation of male behaviors (Dang, 2023:75). Female gaze also reflects in female preference of “a slim, non-aggressive, cute, or even feminine image” of male body, which differs from the masculine and muscular male body shape that men believe females would prefer, suggesting Chinese young females have developed a sense of female gaze by having their own preference among different male body images (Dang, 2023:82). Therefore, the development of feminism as a political movement among Chinese young females reflects in 嗑CP culture, through which female fans meet their needs of emotional support, intimacy, resisting the traditional gender roles, and enacting female gaze upon men.

Studies related to the keyword

There are multiple studies that explores the mechanisms, the risks, and different types of 嗑CP from different perspectives.

From a psychological/behavioral perspective, Zhou’s study identifies three stages of shipping behaviors: the exploration stage, the formation and stability stage, and the rupture stage (Zhou et al., 2022:5). The exploratory stage is when individuals learn about a certain CP through socialization and curiosity, etc. (Zhou et al., 2022:5) As they gain pleasure, recognition, and other sorts of positive emotions from shipping, their affection for shipping stabilizes and reinforces their shipping behavior, turning it into a habit, which is called the formation and stability stage (Zhou et al., 2022:6). On the other hand, a fan could also enter what is called the rupture stage when losing interest in a shipped couple (Zhou et al., 2022:6).

From a sociocultural perspective, Guo’s study describes the three types of fans’ main CP perception and practices. Pleasure-based fandom is when fans, knowing that the shipped couple’s relationship is not real, create fantasies and celebrate their friendship; Comfort-based is when CP fans believe the shipped couple have had a romantic relationship which ended, and continue extending and creating what might have happened during their past relationship, and accepting their currently alternative but happy families; responsibility-based fandom is when CP fans believe that there is an ongoing romantic relationship between the shipped couple, and thus it is their responsibility to discover more evidence that support the existence of this secret relationship (Guo, 2023:500). Among the three, responsibility-based fans are the ones that are criticized the most by the public. The reason is that their unrealistic imagination, which could turn into rumors, and seemingly plausible evidences they discovered, could potentially harm the celebrity’s career, as homosexuality is not approved by the official Chinese culture (Guo, 2023:499).

Conclusion

In conclusion, 嗑CP is keyword that is rising in popularity on the Chinese internet amongst fans of different celebrities. It allows for fans to ship their favourite celebrities together and feel a sense of fandom identity. The keyword 嗑CP conveys different meanings in various contexts and linguistic settings. These different usage scenarios portray the different values among couple fans. For instance, there are some similar terms in Western fan culture such as slash fiction. With the nature of fan ships and the strong opinions towards their favourite celebrity,  嗑CP is often negatively portrayed as seen with the 277 incident. Consequently, the CP fan culture induces social issues such as conflicts amongst different groups of fans due to the different perspectives in their imaginary romantic relationship with the celebrities. It also reflects cultural tension between the individualistic ideology amongst Chinese young adults and state-official collective value. Additionally, as a way of resisting traditional norms, gender roles, and the exposure of social responsibility, couple shipping depicts the development of feminism as a political movement among Chinese young females who, by engaging in couple shipping, have found an alternative to satisfy their emotional need and embrace anti-male gaze female sexuality.

We encourage future researchers to look at how  嗑CP fan culture may differ in other sexualities. This project primarily looked at male-male relationships. Therefore, future researchers may look at other non-heteronormative standards. Another limitation of ours is that we only looked at Chinese versus Western culture. We encourage future research to look at other cultures that may have an 嗑CP equivalent culture.

References

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