Course:ASIA319/2024/Quitting(戒断)

Introduction

Opium first entered China through British trade as early as the 16th century, which in the following centuries, resulted in widespread and rampant opiate abuse across the country (Tang et al. 657). By 1906, China had 13.5 million addicts consuming opiates with an estimated 27% of adult males dependent on opium (657). In response, the Chinese government has attempted multiple times to control opium, infamously through the Opium Wars in the 19th century (657). Today, with the globalization and onset of the internet, “戒断” (jieduan), commonly defined as “quitting” or “withdrawal,” refers to mainly online addictions experienced by Chinese youth (Baidu Wenku). With the vastness of the internet, “戒断” (jieduan) serves as a wide umbrella term for the “withdrawal” of addictions within various subcultures in China (Baidu Wenku). Many contemporary youth use “戒断” (jieduan) to break off from negative addictions, often digital, such as gaming, gambling, live viewership, with government officials associating and deeming such activities as “opium for the spirit” (Szablewicz 460).

Understanding the context and meaning of “戒断” (jieduan) both in a historical and contemporary lens will help us understand the culture of addiction in Chinese society. With how deep-seated addiction is in Chinese history, we can understand the stigma of addiction and how “戒断” (jieduan) played a pivotal relationship role in developing contemporary Chinese moral culture. To understand “戒断” (jieduan) is also to understand its implications and reactions from the individual to the government.

Through analyzing its socio-political and economic impact, we seek to understand how the notion of “戒断” (jieduan) is reinforced or changed in modern society, pop culture, and government policies within the unique context of Chinese history and philosophy.

The genesis of the keyword

Example of “戒断” (jieduan) on Chinese social media: withdrawal response after breaking up.

The use of “戒断” (jieduan) in Chinese popular culture comes from its original meaning: withdrawal, which is the physical and mental symptoms that a person has when they suddenly stop or cut back the use of an addictive substance, commonly used to describe medical symptoms. In Chinese popular culture, context is similar to its original meaning, commonly used in Chinese social media, many individuals use “戒断” (jieduan) to describe their discomfort or emotional struggle that arises from a sudden change in environment or stop engaging in behaviors they have consistently done, “戒断” (jieduan) focuses on emotion rather than physical symptom (Baidu Wenku). It becomes popular in Chinese popular culture because people use this word to term “戒断” (jieduan) in a self-deprecating way to acknowledge their reliance on something and recognize its negative impact on their life (Baidu Wenku) . For example, a person who realized spending too much time on scrolling TikTok every day decided to reduce the time spent on Tiktok, which could cause emotional discomfort for the person, such as feeling very bored or not knowing what to do during free time, which “戒断” (jieduan) plays the role to describe the emotional discomfort in this process of quitting the addictive behaviors or routines, highlighting the self-awareness of the issue. Therefore, “戒断” (jieduan) become popular because many people on social media platforms are helping each other or asking for advice in the process of quitting various addictive behaviors, putting efforts to make one’s life more productive or better in certain ways. Furthermore, “戒断” (jieduan) is also used as an adjective to express one’s emotional struggle. For instance, a person could say: I'm feeling sad; I've been experiencing withdrawal symptoms since I broke up with my girlfriend“戒断” (jieduan) could be as to describe the emotional discomfort or a sense of disparity of the sudden change of personal state or the surrounding environment. As a result, “戒断” (jieduan) is a short and effective term to describe the combination of various negative emotions after a change of personal state or the environment.

Glossary of its explicit dictionary meanings

The shape of axe is same as Chinese character 斤

‘戒’ (jie) is an associative compound that consists of ‘戈’ and ‘廾’. ‘戈’ could be a separate word which means halberd, ‘廾’could be a separate word which means two hands are holding something. So ‘戒’ represents a state of warning and caution. ‘断’ (duan) originates from its traditional form ‘斷’. It is an associative compound consists ‘㡭’ which means fabric and ‘斤’ which means an axe. ‘斷’ is fabric cut down by an axe, which means sever.  ‘斷’could also be pictophonetic which means 斤 suggests the meaning of axe and 㡭 suggests the sound.

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

Modern Usages of 戒断 (jieduan)

Despite its primary meaning of quitting from addictive psychoactive, “戒断” (jieduan) is widely used in social media. In the video app, “戒断” (jieduan) appears to talk about quitting phone addiction, it usually connects to people’s self-discipline in the way of self-actualization. On the community website Douban, “戒断” (jieduan) is mentioned as a way of quitting purchasing dolls Jellycat. In the Zhihu community, “戒断” (jieduan) is mentioned as relieving from breaking up. On the website Baidu, “戒断” (jieduan) is mentioned generally as a knowledge propagation which is broader to “戒断” (jieduan)’s usage such as relationships, phones, games, Internet, and so on. In Tieba, “戒断” (jieduan)‘s usage is pretty same as the circumstances in Douban, people gather together to talk about specific bad habits they want to quit and encourage each other.

Douban Community comes together to quit purchasing Jellycat dolls

Associated Words

• ‘戒断反应’ (jieduan fanying): In common contexts, “戒断” (jieduan) usually connects to ‘反应’ (fanying). ‘反应’ (fanying) translates to reaction. and it represents the original meaning of “戒断” (jieduan) which is a medical term that represents the symptoms when some people abruptly interrupt or reduce their usage of addictive psychoactive substances on which they have had long-term dependence (Baidu Baike).
• ‘假期戒断反应’ (jiaqi jieduan fanying): refers to a sense of upset when a long-run holiday ends.  That’s because the ending of a long-run holiday usually accomplishes the start of workdays. In Contemporary Chinese the work system is ‘996’, which means a work schedule that starts at 9 a.m., finishes at 9 p.m., and works for 6 days a week. This working hour system always brings the Chinese a sense of tiredness and boredom. So the sudden switches between a happy holiday and dull work usually cause people’s uncomfortable and inability to back to their work routine. The series of reactions and feelings of people in the switching process is called ‘假期戒断反应’.
• ‘分手戒断反应’ (fenshou jieduan fanying): refers to separation anxiety when someone breaks up with his or her long-term partner. They get used to being with their partner instead of solitude, so it takes time for them to adjust from the afraid of solitude to adapting to solitude. The symptom of extreme loneliness, missing of ex-partner, and sadness during self-adjustment is called ‘分手戒断反应’.
• ‘演唱会戒断反应’ (yanchanghui jieduan fanying): refers to a sense of void after watching a concert. The concert usually accomplishes an extreme extent of participation and excitement. Audiences could see their idol or modern star in real life instead of watching them on social media. It provides audiences with a fantasy that they are so close to their idol or the superstar. The enjoyment is endless and will never be satisfied, so when the concert ends, they will go back to reality and feel void of leaving the fantasy.
• ‘戒断Jellycat’ (jieduan Jellycat): refers to the desire to stop buying dolls from the brand Jellycat. That desire is not caused by the low quality of Jellycat’s products but by the excessive emotional dependency through buying too many of Jellycat’s dolls (Cao, 2024: 64).

Counterparts Terms in Western and non-Chinese popular cultures

Pachinko (パチンコ)

Pachinko is an “amusement arcade” type machine that is recognized as “entertainment” and not as gambling in key legislation in Japan, contributing to one of the highest rates of severe gambling problems in the world (Samuelsson, Törrönen, Hwang, and Takiguchi 2). As the largest leisurely activity with parlors in abundance in Japanese society, despite a decline in the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, around 7.1 million patrons continued to gamble while generating an equivalent of 132.7 billion USD in 2020 (3).

An adult using a pachinko machine alone in a pachinko parlor

Initial users of pachinko thought of it as a “perfect way to spend spare time,” providing them with a sense of freedom and recreation, as Daiki, a 30-40-year-old man, describes “Pachinko was fun and let me forget my problems. I felt there was nothing better than pachinko” (5-6). However, before long Daiki’s gambling problems were exacerbated, isolating him from family, friends, and society, and attempts at quitting were futile, as he describes “the more I tried to decrease the gambling the more I longed for it…I prioritized gambling above all else…I completely lost it and that was the worst effect of gambling” (6). Eventually, this led to a vicious cycle of desperation and lies, leading to severed friendships and family ties, as Daiki describes “I feel guilt toward my family who needed to pay my debts or because they felt ashamed of me. There I felt guilty” (7-8).

Similarly to Chinese people who experience “戒断” (jieduan), pachinko users go through a similar process of withdrawal that encapsulates the overwhelmingly negative emotions of “戒断” (jieduan). However, not all Pachinko users will try to withdraw or succeed as shown by Daiki’s narrative. Instead, both negative reactions from others and towards oneself captured by pachinko are embodied in “戒断” (jieduan).

Cold Turkey

The word cold turkey is an English idiomatic expression that refers to “stop doing something completely,” commonly used in the context of alcohol, drugs, or unhealthy eating but it generally refers to addictive habits (Jones). The word “cold turkey” was originally thought to describe the “goosepimples” or “cold burn” while having the sensation of a refrigerated turkey’s skin when withdrawing from drugs (“Where does the phrase 'cold turkey' come from?”). Regardless of its origin, the phrase is used to describe withdrawal in an “instant” way while capturing the uncomfortable sensation of quitting something that’s addictive  (“Where does the phrase 'cold turkey' come from?”).

Both “戒断” (jieduan) and cold turkey are used freely in medical and everyday scenarios, with dreadful and uncomfortable undertones. For example, in the context of drug rehabilitation, one article describes that “recovering addicts must first go ‘cold turkey’ in concrete cells furnished with only a mattress,” indicating the uncomfortable process of drug withdrawal (Aldhous). Additionally, cold turkey can be found in a more casual setting, such as to describe gaming, as one online user describes that they “quit gaming cold turkey two months ago” (u/CaptainBooger).

Meanings in context

When “戒断” (jieduan) is mentioned in medical contexts, it usually represents a strict medical term for doctors to diagnose patients’ syndromes. Quitting objects are medicines or substances that are defined by scholars academically called ‘psychoactive substances’ like drugs and cigarettes which could activate the central nervous system and cause changes in mood and cognition. The changes usually bring people excitement. In media contexts, the definition of “戒断” (jieduan)’ is obscure and blurry, it keeps the core element of medical “戒断” (jieduan) but isn’t so strict. It reaches a level of emotional or spiritual resonance for every Chinese in contemporary Chinese culture, so it is so effective that the Chinese use it frequently to communicate. For example, the phenomena of ‘Jellycat戒断'. Jellycat is a popular doll brand that mimics real-world objects and living things such as cookware, plants, vegetables, and animals. Jellycat’s doll makes those objects anthropopathic so that they are not so untouchable, they become consumers’ pets and they are cute to provide consumers emotional support. Some people become reliable in that emotional support and can’t help purchasing Jellycat(Cao,2024: 64). This becomes a kind of addiction that weakens consumers’ ability to be self-independent so they want to quit purchasing Jellycat(Cao,2024: 64). In social media contexts, there are no explicit physical costs and damages because Jellycat is just a doll brand, not a luxury brand, but it causes many consumers to self-reflection emotionally so they use ‘戒断Jellycat’ to encourage themselves quit to buying much more Jellycat and to quit the excessive emotional dependency(Cao, 2024: 65).

How dictionary meanings are transferred, distorted, or subverted?

“戒断” (jieduan) originates as a medical term that refers to "withdrawal," describing physical and mental symptoms that result from cutting off an addictive substance. Drug addiction first emerged from the Opium War, drug addiction was first officially defined in the 19th century in British and Europe, it was medical institutions that created the modern concept of addiction and classifying the use of drugs as a physiological condition beyond the control of the patient (CAQUET, P. E., 2015, p 1010). This meaning is rooted in the context of addiction and carries a clinical connotation in a medical context. The term withdrawal came into view after drug addiction was defined. Habit develops from both the highly enjoyable effects of opiate use and the repeated discomfort experienced during withdrawal. Thus, addiction, even beyond medical definitions, is accessible to ordinary people to have a general understanding due to its basic characteristics (CAQUET, P. E., 2015, p 1011). This shift not only redefined drug use as a medical issue but also laid the foundation for understanding the psychological and revealing addiction under various situations within society. Therefore, when “戒断” (jieduan) under the context of Chinese popular culture, particularly on it is commonly used on social media platforms, it undergoes a process of semantic subversion that emphasizes emotional or psychological experiences rather than just physical symptoms; shifts from the official medical usage to informal, containing a broader spectrum of feelings, such as emotional dependency on addictive behaviors or routine. This allows ordinary people to use “戒断” (jieduan) in everyday conversations rather than under certain medical contexts.

Social, cultural, and political problems

Social

The use of “戒断” (jieduan) has the characteristic of self-awareness of the issue and the determination to quit certain addictive behaviors or routines that could hurt a person’s daily life. It is a way of resisting the influence of unhealthy habits and regaining control over one’s life. The dependency and compulsive behavior could be caused by short video algorithms consumerism etc.. Internet addiction has become a social phenomenon, as the development of technology, especially on the internet, is deeply integrated into people’s everyday lives. The Internet provides the convenience of instant access to a vast range of resources. For adolescents in particular, it serves as an easily accessible platform for entertainment, communication, education, and information gathering. (Wu, Xiao-Shuang, et al, 2016, p 104). The term “戒断” (jieduan) is popular use among young generations, such as students or young office workers. Based on data from the China Internet Network Information Center, by the end of June 2012, China’s internet user base had grown to 538 million. Of these users, 30.2% were between the ages of 20 and 29, and 28.6% were students (詹筱茹，刘宏侠, 2012, p 21). Thus, many young individuals are posting about digital withdrawal on social media, expressing intentions such as "Starting today, I will reduce the time spent scrolling on TikTok before bed." They also make efforts to restrain themselves from being distracted by their phones during work or study sessions. This self-awareness of underlying issues, with self-disciplined behavior, attempts to eliminate the negative impacts and enhance one’s well-being. Digital withdrawal can be seen as an extension of traditional media resistance in a modern setting, involving a more detailed understanding of beliefs and conversations. It is grounded in people's collective desire to maintain their 'authenticity' despite being constantly connected. In practice, it is shown through cultural behaviors aimed at reconnecting with real-life experiences by those feeling overwhelmed by information overload and dependence on technology. (常江, 2023, p121).

Cultural

From the perspective of culture, “戒断” (jieduan)‘s popularity comes from moral panic. This moral panic is related to unique socio-cultural attributes of the Chinese situation that consists of  “morality”--daode, “quality”--suzhi, and “civilization”--wenming (Szablewicz, 2010: 459). The ideology of ‘perfect society requires the perfection of its people’ was encouraged in the Mao era and still exists today, so, the appeal to pursue moral appeal instead of being punished and underlooked in powerless status becomes important(Szablewicz, 2010: 459). The phenomena of moral panic show exaggerated anxiety of people’s addiction in the Confucianism culture background, the anxiety of addiction arises from pressures in the reaction toward cultural and economic changes like the 'single-child policy, the highly competitive college entrance examination (Gaokao) and growing economic expectations', not the addiction itself(Szablewicz, 2010: 458). The mass media was inciting people’s hysteria about some addictive behaviors like Internet addiction, it explicitly leads people to transform their different kinds of anxiety into one place, especially in technological change and youth(Szablewicz, 2010: 454). The transformation of anxiety is a kind of implicit escaping to real-life situations, but people under an influential ideology were easy to be in an information cocoon and have no awareness of this deficit, they prefer to pay more attention to teenagers’ addiction to the Internet and use hype terms to reinforce the anxiety(Szablewicz, 2010: 460). That’s why “戒断” (jieduan) become a popular word, usage of “戒断” (jieduan) would provide people with a sense of wisdom and self-discipline in Chinese culture.

Also, the 'power of metaphor' in social media boosts the success of anxiety transformation(Szablewicz, 2010: 461). As we know, the Internet and technology are relatively cutting-edge so not all ages and social classes can get in touch with the phenomena of Internet addiction(Szablewicz, 2010: 461). In that case, social media connects a well-known historical event in China–Opium Wars to Internet addiction so that every citizen could put their 'national embarrassment' during a specific historical event to nowadays Internet addiction and pay more attention to it(Szablewicz, 2010: 461) .

The moral panic is not just decided by social media or the government, the main cause is the longstanding cultural ideology or circumstances(Szablewicz, 2010: 459). The definition of moral behavior in Chinese culture seems to be changing, unstable but unchallengeable(Szablewicz, 2010: 459). The relevant immoral behavior is changing but the pursuit of moral behavior is unchanging(Szablewicz, 2010: 459). So people would not know what is ‘for sure’ to behave, but they know that if they don’t follow the superior moral paradigm they will bear moral punishment(Szablewicz, 2010: 459). That’s why there are many more feelings of anxiety and fear under the ideology of  ‘addiction’ and then “戒断” (jieduan)--quitting from addiction is taken seriously.

Political

A scene from the machinima animated film The War of Chinese Addiction, that pokes fun at the Chinese government's handling of Internet addiction.

The Chinese government has historically played a pivotal role in controlling addictions through policy, the first of which includes controlling opium during the Opium Wars (Tang et al. 657). In the early 1950s, the Chinese government combatted widespread opiate abuse by carrying out a nationwide opium antidrug campaign that involved punishing people associated with proliferating opium and compulsory ‘treatment’ for opium abusers (657).

This period of opium addiction became permanently etched in the minds of every Chinese person and became a source of national embarrassment (Szablewicz 66). However, opium served more than just as a memory; history is often valued as a source of moral guidance, which when used in a modern context, enables the older generation to understand the internet through something they never will forget (66). As a result, terms like “spiritual opium” and “digital heroin” popped up on blogs and BBS message boards, taking hold in the popular imagination, which shows the resonance of Internet addiction with the old fear of opium corrupting the country’s young men (54, 66).

Events in the history of Internet addiction contributed to a trajectory of media moral panic which ultimately resulted in and shaped government (55). One notorious fire at the Lanjisu Internet café in 2002 that resulted in 25 deaths caused a media frenzy over the growing problem of illegal Internet cafés (hei wangba) and the government responded with a round of raids and restrictions (57). Official media discussion followed suit with People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, publishing 43 articles covering Internet cafés in an overwhelmingly negative tone (58). In July 2008, a seven-part documentary series entitled Battling the Net Monster (Zhang wang mo) stirred controversy with its questionable claims about Internet addiction (58). The situation escalated to a series of government policies, one of which notably was the controversial censorship software known as Green Dam Youth Escort (Lüba huaji huhang) which was designed to create a safe (green) web environment but was criticized for its potential to censor political discussion (59). Outside of government policies, on May 7 2009, Chinese Youth Daily published an exposé accusing Yang Yongxin and his Internet Addiction Treatment Center of using electroshock as well as other harsh and abusive tactics to treat teenagers addictions, which eventually led to both Chinese and international coverage (60).

In response to restrictions and government policies, Internet users have rebelled to defend their right to occupy their “spiritual homeland” (115). One viral video that took the Internet by storm for its ability to capture “the emotions within many WoW players’ hearts” was The War of Internet Addiction (114). Attracting over 1.32 million views within three days of its January 2010 release, it makes a humorous take on many political issues, masking serious critique in its parody (119).

Studies related to the keyword

Educational Dilemma

Considering today's policy about limiting the usage time of online games and the popularity of quitting, this is not only ineffective in stopping teenagers from playing online games because of the ease of using fake identities to escape the examination but also grows 'social stigma' to teenagers and brings them few unaffordable harms to teenagers which they should not bear(Szablewicz, 2010: 464).

Also, the thrive of moral panic shows parents and experts escaping some responsibility(Szablewicz, 2010: 465). In China, when it comes to a mental disease, it probably becomes parents' or caregivers' problems so-called yuanshengjiating--original family(Szablewicz, 2010: 465). But when it becomes a moral problem, most stakeholders in society and the relevant environment should take it seriously(Szablewicz, 2010: 465). At that time the usage of 戒断 becomes a transferring responsibility from parents and relevant experts to the external environment like the Internet even the society itself(Szablewicz, 2010: 465). The stakeholder becomes broader but vaguer so that blame could have less pertinence but could still relieve one's feelings.

Psychological withdrawal

In Kaptsis, King et al. research, they focus on the psychological withdrawal of internet gaming disorder (IGD), and how IGD is the same as traditional addiction (addictive substance use). The problematic use of internet games may cause harm to the function of the human body; however, it remains controversial, despite there being sufficient evidence to support this fact (Kaptsis D, King DL et al., 2016, p59). The reason IGD cannot be classified as a disorder is because of the lack of clear and consistent terminology for describing internet gaming issues, particularly regarding fundamental addiction concepts such as tolerance and withdrawal (Kaptsis D, King DL et al., 2016, p 59). Also, traditionally, the concept of withdrawal is already been widely recognized as a physiological characteristic of substance use disorders like alcohol, tobacco, and heroin addiction, therefore identifying how it manifests in disorders that do not involve the intake of a chemical substance has been a challenge (Kaptsis D, King DL et al., 2016, p59). The characteristic of IGD is similar to substance addiction and addiction behavior is unnecessarily involved with chemical substance use. The fundamental of addiction concepts from substance dependence was similarly applied to video gaming behaviors, because these activities were considered equally immersive, requiring significant time, and capable of triggering negative emotional reactions, such as hostility or sadness when users were unable to engage in them (Kaptsis D, King DL et al., 2016, p59).

After Kaptisi, King et al. research, they found out there are still more clarifications between normal and clinical reactions. Some research suggests that withdrawal-like symptoms may be emotional responses rather than signs of addiction. Moreover, IGD assessment tools are limited, as they mostly address affective symptoms while excluding physical and cognitive aspects of withdrawal, which complicates a deeper understanding of these symptoms (Kaptsis D, King DL et al., 2016, p 64).

In Kaptisi, King et al. study and “戒断” (jieduan) under the Chinese popular context both recognize that addiction concepts such as withdrawal, tolerance, and craving are not limited to physiological dependence on substances. Both emphasize the psychological dimension of withdrawal and more focus on the emotional responses, not just physical symptoms. Additionally, Kaptsis and King et al. point out the lack of clear terminology and consistent frameworks for describing withdrawal in non-substance addictions, which also appears under Chinese popular context, where people on social media can use “戒断” (jieduan) to describe the negative emotions after detach with certain habit/routine/behaviors in a very broad of spectrum and emotional withdrawal can be universal across various contexts.

Cross-cultural perspectives on quitting addictions through natural recovery

Absinthe was a fashionable 19th century drink that was soon depicted to be dangerous - as shown by this political cartoon depiction of the drink.

The idea of “natural recovery” from addictions is a hotly debated topic among Anglo-Europeans (Baker and Hunt 213). The notion of “recovery” or quitting addictions varies widely not just by culture but by many other factors such as demographics, prevailing theories of medicine, and modes of social control (214). For example, in early nineteenth-century Europe, absinthe was a fashionable drink among the urban middle class until it was banned later because of its deadly effects on physical and mental well-being (214). To understand the varying perspectives on recovery, we will acknowledge two cultural “styles,” notably “individualist” or “collectivist” in orientation (216).

The “individualist” cultural framework is denoted by the assumption that individuals in a group act independently from one another and are future-oriented, actively seeking to prevent problems (216). In viewing recovery, many Anglo-European cultures view complete cessation of problem consumption as the accepted endpoint (226). To add on, an addict is often labeled as a “deviant” and is ostracized from their family and wider society (229). Addicts also make others nervous and uneasy and are thought of as deviating from the norm (228). In treating “illnesses” or “behaviors,” discussing one’s problems with friends, professionals, or even family is seen as a way of gaining a solution to your problems and is usually accepted (231).

On the other hand, in a “collectivist” cultural framework, groups bind and mutually obligate individuals, while staying present-oriented and are motivated by the immediate need to finish a task (217). Many non-Anglo-European cultures view significant moderation of a substance as an acceptable viewpoint (226). These settings also tend to not socially marginalize such members, while family or community might condemn the behavior, they rarely carry over the condemnation to include the person (229). Hallucinatory or alternative cognitive states are often regarded as “spiritual” abilities (228). Treating these illnesses beyond the immediate extended family group is often seen as “dangerous” and is often kept “private” (231). Recovery and healing often finish with the community and sometimes can involve a spiritual user, such as a shaman (232).

Conclusion

Originating from opium addiction in the 1900s, the role of “戒断” (jieduan) has evolved to be flexibly used across the Internet and in formal medical disciplines in Chinese society. Today, while it historically bears the nationwide stigma of rampant opiate abuse and the embarrassment of covering such events, the meaning of it is much more multifaceted and variable.

In the medical field, “戒断” (jieduan) acts as a strict medical term for quitting addictive substances, however in the more popularly used media context, while it embodies the medical definition, it is used to describe the emotions of “withdrawing” from an activity. The feeling of “emptiness” of leaving a concert (演唱会戒断反应), the feeling of heartbreak after breaking up, the feeling of tough when people are quitting from bad habits. Or, it could be used in a serious context, such as experiencing “戒断” (jieduan) from an addiction.

The history of “戒断” (jieduan) bears has also enabled the word to have a nationalistic meaning and be politicized to transform its meaning into a word of “shame,” “embarrassment,” and “regret.”

In viewing counterpart terms in other cultures, such as “Pachinko” or “Cold Turkey,” we draw parallels to their usage and meanings embodied, most of which involve withdrawals from addictions.

While there is plenty of research regarding the usage of “戒断” (jieduan) in addictions in Chinese society, we found that there is a lack of research regarding the permeation of the term through Chinese culture from its origin. We suggest that research regarding “戒断” (jieduan) involves a more cross-temporal stance in analyzing the evolution of the term.

References

This resource was created by Course:ASIA319.