It has already become one of China’s most famous paddles. The original paddle used by the popular Chinese table tennis player and Paris 2024 medal favorite Wang Chuqin (王楚钦) became one of the most discussed topics on the Chinese social media platform Weibo over the past 48 hours after it was stepped on and broken by a photographer at the Olympic venue.

Wang Chuqin is particularly loved on Weibo, where many fans also refer to him as “Big Head” (大头), a nickname his coach once gave him that stuck. When playing with Sun Yingsha (孙颖莎), the powerful duo is also referred to as the “Sha-tou Combination” (莎头组合) on social media.

The incident happened right after Wang Chuqin and Sun Yunsha, the powerful ‘Sha-tou’ duo, won gold in the table tennis mixed doubles final against the North Korean duo Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong. (A hashtag related to that match, by the way, received a staggering 960 million views on Weibo).

As the champions bowed to the fans and held up the Chinese flag to celebrate their win, Wang had his paddle on the side where a photographer stepped on it.

One video captured by an audience member showed Wang’s reaction upon finding out his racket was damaged. His coach tried to hold him back when he angrily confronted the Olympic venue staff for letting the photographers get all over his belongings.

The incident led to online anger. People felt for Wang, and worried about the impact the incident may or would have on his upcoming performances. Those blaming the athlete for leaving his paddle on the sideline of the Olympic table tennis court were rebuked by others. One comment by a popular Weibo blogger (@Do医生) said:

“I’m surprised to see some people blaming Wang Chuqin for leaving his paddle lying around. The paddle was not broken while lying on the ground—it was inside his luggage when it got stepped on and broken. The higher the level of competition, the greater the impact of differences in paddle feel. The team surely prepared a backup paddle, and we ofcourse hope Wang Chuqin can perform well with it and not be affected by this incident. However, you should not be confused about the photographer’s carelessness in stepping on the paddle, and you certainly shouldn’t turn things around and blame the athlete.

Others agreed, saying an athlete has every right to leave their belongings in the resting area beside the court, and that anyone stepping on these items was unnecessarily careless.

 
Who Broke the Champion’s Bat?
 

On Wednesday, one Weibo blogger posted a zoomed-in photo showing Wang’s paddle in his suitcase on the sidelines of the Olympic venue, saying: “There’s a footprint on Wang Chuqin’s paddle.”

Who broke Wang Chuqin’s paddle? Angered fans who wanted to get to the bottom of the story started to replay videos showing the aftermath of the video and closely examined which photographer must have stepped on the racket. Some people suggested it must have been intentional.

They concluded it must have been the photographer with the number 3488 on his back, as he could be seen crouching down in one of the videos, seemingly rearranging some items on the floor about where the suitcase allegedly was, before stepping away.

A related hashtag, namely “Video Replay of the Incident Where Wang Chuqin’s Paddle Was Stepped On and Broken” (#视频回放王楚钦球拍被踩断始末#), received over 370 million views on Weibo.

Many wondered: “Why is he not held accountable?” Others demanded ‘3488’ to step forward and apologize.

 
Blaming the Backup Paddle
 

The day after the broken paddle incident, the original racket and its replacement remained a topic of discussion. During the July 31st Wang Chuqin vs. Truls Möregårdh singles match, many viewers noted that Wang seemed nervous. “Was it because he did not have his original paddle,” many wondered.

Table tennis holds a special significance and extra weight for China during the Olympics. Although it’s originally an imported sport, it became one of the most popular sports in China – ChatGPT even calls it China’s “national sport” – and it is also among the sports that seem to get the most attention on Weibo, where the 24-year-old Wang Chuqin is among the most celebrated Olympic athletes.

In the end, however, Wang was unable to beat his Swedish competitor. Disappointed fans attributed his loss to the fact that he did not have his own lucky paddle.

After the match, Wang denied that using his backup paddle had anything to do with his loss. He did admit that the incident had affected him, but he blamed himself for making too many mistakes.

But many fans and commenters will not let the issue go. They suggest that the paddle was damaged on purpose, especially because nobody has stepped forward to take responsibility.

The incident in pictures, as posted by @唐哲同学.

Some Weibo users also tried to see what happened when they stepped on their own rackets. One person (@冬酿糯米糍) demonstrated what happened when she jumped on a cheap racket she had purchased – not much. “I really don’t believe it was not deliberate,” she said about the Wang Chuqin incident. “My friends also tried this out. It’s really difficult to break a racket by accidentally stepping on it.”

The only paddle more famous than the broken one is the backup one. Discussions on to what extent the replacement paddle has affected the outcome of the game are ongoing.

By now, the Weibo hashtag “Wang Chuqin’s Backup Paddle” (#王楚钦副拍#) has received over 340 million views on Weibo.

Update: On August 1st, Chinese media reported that the incident is currently being investigated (#王楚钦球拍被踩事件正在调查#).

Update, August 9: As this incident gradually fades into the background, the IOC has stated that there will be no new investigation into the matter. Disappointed fans of Wang are still demanding answers.

By Manya Koetse

Follow @whatsonweibo

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Our Weibo phrase of the week is Bye Bye Biden (bài bài Bàidēng 拜拜拜登). As news of Biden dropping out of the presidential race went viral on Weibo early Monday local time, it’s time to reflect on some of the popular nicknames and phrases given to US President Joe Biden on Chinese social media.

 
🔹 Biden in Chinese: Bàidēng 拜登

Biden in Chinese is generally written pronounced and written as Bàidēng 拜登. Although the character 拜 (bài) means “to pay respect, to worship” and 登 (dēng) means “to ascend, to climb,” they’re used here primarily for their phonetic similarity. The characters chosen are neutral to avoid any negative implications in the official translation of Biden’s name.

Why are non-Chinese names translated into Chinese at all? With English and Chinese being vastly different languages with entirely different phonetics and scripts, most Chinese people find it difficult to pronounce a foreign name written in English. Writing foreign names in Chinese not only standardizes them but also makes pronunciation and memorization easier for Chinese speakers.

 
🔹 Bye Biden: Bài Bài Bàidēng 拜拜拜登

Because Biden is Bàidēng, and the Chinese for ‘bye bye’ is written as bài bài 拜拜, some netizens quickly created the wordplay “bài bài Bàidēng” 拜拜拜登 (“bye bye Biden”) upon hearing that Biden would not seek reelection. Try saying it out loud—it almost sounds like you’re stammering.

 
🔹 Old Joe: Lǎo Dēng Dēng 老登登

Another common farewell greeting to Biden seen online is “bài bài lǎo dēng dēng” 拜拜老登登, which sounds cute due to the repetition of sounds.

“Old Biden” or “lǎo dēng dēng” 老登登 is a common online nickname for Biden in Chinese. The reduplication of the 登 (dēng) makes it sound playful and affectionate, while the “old” prefix is commonly used when referring to someone older. It’s similar to calling someone “Old Joe” in English.

 
🔹 Biden Variations: 拜灯, 白等, 败蹬

Let’s look at some other ways Biden is nicknamed online:

Besides the official way of writing Biden with the 拜登 Bàidēng characters, there are also other variations:

拜灯: bài dēng
白等: bái děng
败蹬: bài dèng

These alternative ways of writing Biden’s name are not neutral. Although the first variation is not necessarily negative (using the formal Biden 拜 bài character but with ‘Light’ 灯 dēng instead of the other 登 ‘dēng’), the other two variations are usually used in more negative contexts.

In 白等 (bái děng), the first character 白 (bái) means “white,” which can evoke associations with old age due to white hair (白发). The character 等 (děng) means “to wait,” and the combination can imply being old and sluggish.

败蹬 (bài dèng) is typically used by netizens to reflect negative sentiments towards the American president. The characters separately mean 败 (bài): “to be defeated,” “to fail,” and 蹬 (dèng): “to step on,” “to kick.” This would never be used by official media and is also often used by netizens to circumvent censorship around a Biden-related topic.

 
🔹 Revive the Country Biden: Bài Zhènhuá 拜振华

Then there is 拜振华 Bài Zhènhuá: revive the country Biden

In recent years, Biden has come to be referred to with the Chinese nickname “Revive the Country Biden,” also translatable as ‘Thriving China Biden’. This nickname has circulated online since 2020 and matches one previously given to former President Trump, namely “Build the Country Trump” (Chuān Jiànguó 川建国).

The idea behind these humorous monikers is that both Trump and Biden are seen as benefitting China by doing a poor job in running the United States and dealing with China.

 
🔹 Sleepy King: Shuì wáng 睡王

Shuì wáng 睡王, Sleepy King, is another common nickname, similar to the English “Sleepy Joe.” During and after the 2020 American presidential elections, there were numerous discussions on Chinese social media about ‘Trump versus Biden.’ Many saw it as a contest between the ‘King of Knowing’ (懂王) and the ‘Sleepy King’ (睡王).

These nicknames were attributed to Trump, who frequently boasted about his unparalleled understanding of various matters, and Biden, who gained notoriety for being older and tired. Viral videos, some manipulated, showed him nodding off or seemingly disoriented. The name ‘Sleepy King’ then stuck.

 
🔹 Grandpa Biden: Bài Yéyé 拜爷爷

Throughout the years, Biden has also been nicknamed Bài yéyé 拜爷爷, “Grandpa Biden.” This is usually more affectionate, though it emphasizes his age—Trump is not much younger than Biden and is not nicknamed ‘Grandpa Trump.’

Another similar nickname is lǎo bái 老白, “Old White,” referring to Biden’s age and white hair. 白 (bái, white) can also be a surname in Chinese. This nickname makes it seem like Biden is an old, familiar friend.

On Weibo, many speculate that American Vice President Kamala Harris will be the new candidate for the Democrats, especially since she’s been endorsed by Biden. Many have little confidence that she can compete against Trump. Her Chinese name is Kǎmǎlā Hālǐsī 卡玛拉·哈里斯, commonly referred to as ‘Harris’ (Hālǐsī).

In light of the latest developments, some netizens jokingly write: “Bye bye Biden, Ha ha ha, Harris.” (Bài bài, Bàidēng. Hā hā hā, Hālǐsī 拜拜，拜登。 哈哈哈，哈里斯). With a new Democratic candidate entering the presidential race, we can expect a fresh batch of creative nicknames to join the mix on Chinese social media.

Want to read more? Also read: Why Trump has Two Different Names in Chinese.

By Manya Koetse

Follow @whatsonweibo

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.