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So everybody knows what we're talking about:

Baozi (Chinese: 包子), Pao-tsih or bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings (meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steamed. They are a variation of mantou from Northern China.

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Early on in his presidency, Xi Jinping picked this up as one of his nicknames, like Winnie the Pooh, both from his puffy shape.  Both fall under the category of "rǔ bāo 辱包" ("disgracing the dumpling").

From Denis Mair:

This is the opening paragraph of an article about the various forms that "辱包" takes on Chinese social media. "辱包," which is sometimes homophonously written as "rǔ bāo 乳包" ("breast bao") is literally "insulting the dumpling," which means making fun of Xi Jinping.

辱包又以谐音写作乳包，是对中共总书记习近平进行恶搞、讽刺、侮辱和调侃的网络梗，字面义即“侮辱包子”，“包子”用以指代习近平，源自2013年习近平吃包子事件，该事件令习近平被戏称为“包子帝”或“习包子”。恶搞、讽刺、侮辱习近平的作品被称作“乳（辱）制品”。和风靡前苏联的政治笑话一样，在中国风声鹤唳的政治高压下，成为颇有意义的民间亚文化。

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Memes are flourishing fast and furious in China today.  They are funny, powerful, and an effective way to keep the censors at bay — until they figure out what lies beneath the surface.

 

Selected readings

• "Fun bun pun" (4/9/17)
• "T-shirt slogans" (11/7/16)
• "Sino-Manchu seals of the Xicom Emperor" (2/12/20)
• "Dumpling ingredients and character amnesia" (10/18/14)
• "Chinese Buzzwords of the year 2019: plagiarism / stealing a shtick" (1/8/20) — on gěng 梗 ("stem / stalk") as a Chinese way of saying "meme"
• "Huminerals" (2/14/23)

We've featured scores of others on Language Log, and they are on all sorts of topics, e.g.:

• "Justin Bieber OK infix" (2/13/18), and endless hilarious image macros (biǎoqíng bāo 表情包), which are, after all, another kind of bāo 包 (though English "bun" is probably etymologically unrelated to "bundle")

 

表情包

1. (Internet, chiefly Mainland China) sticker or emoji pack (for a chat software)
2. (Internet slang, figuratively) a person with many facial expressions (such that they are often used as an emoji pack)

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"pack / bundle of emotions"

February 21, 2023 @ 6:15 pm · Filed by Victor Mair under Emojis and emoticons, Memes

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