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This is a community dedicated to all things Chinese entertainment, be it actors, idols, dramas, donghua, movies, novels, variety shows, or whatever else you can think of that falls under the c-ent umbrella.

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dancing_serpent, or comment on this entry. The comments will stay screened for your privacy.

dancing_serpent

I'm sorry to do this, but I need to take a bit of a break for a while. I'm not in a good place right now mentally, and I'm hitting a limit where running this comm has started to feel more like work than fun.

First of all, I will keep doing the weekly chats - those are the least stressful for me, and as long as I'm still watching dramas I'll have something to contribute to them. I'll also keep up with the maintenance, i.e. tracking the comm, creating tags, commenting, etc.

But for now, I'll put a break on running the Wishlist Wednesday and the Quick Rec Wednesday posts. Participation on those has been very low in general, and remember, you're always welcome to post requests or recs directly to the comm!

I might keep up posting the Did You Make a Thing? entries, let's see how I'll feel towards the end of the month. But again, you're always welcome to post your fanworks directly to the comm!

As for the Topic Tuesdays, I don't know yet. They might still happen sometimes, but not necessarily on the regular, second Tuesday of the month. I love them, but they're also the most stressful entries for me. Coming up with topics is hard, even with help from you. Especially so, when I have no experience with or no opinion on a certain topic, and struggle to play host to those discussions. But don't let that deter you. Whenever you want to talk about something, please simply make a separate discussion entry to this comm.

I adore our picspam collections, but they're also the most work intensive entries, so I won't make any promises.

I also won't make any promises or predictions about the time frame of these changes. Who knows? Maybe I'll be perfectly fine again next month and return to the regular schedule. But maybe it will take me a year instead. What I do know is that I'm not done with c-ent in general, there are still plenty of dramas to watch and books to read, and I'm looking forward to doing so!

I'm a bit sad about all of it, but I'd rather take a step back now and still enjoy c-ent, than turn the whole thing sour for me.

And if anyone had interest in hosting one of those formats for now, I'd be fine with that, too. PM me, if you like, or if you feel unsure about it.

thawrecka

Finding Moments (627 words) by thawrecka
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 长公主在上 | Zhǎng Gōng Zhǔ Zài Shàng (Web Series)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gu Xuanqing/Li Yunzhen
Characters: Gu Xuanqing, Li Yunzhen

dancing_serpent

The weekly chat posts are intended for just that, chatting among each other. What are you currently watching? Reading? What actor/idol are you currently following? What are you looking forward to? Are you busy writing, creating art? Or did you have no time at all for anything, and are bemoaning that fact?

Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or

grayswandir

Since we haven't had a picspam post lately, I thought maybe we could do one for Chinese New Year and post pics of your favorite C-ent actors/actresses/drama characters/singers etc. dressed up for the holiday (from any year!), whether for a photo shoot, ad, spring gala performance, music video, drama scene, or anything else. Gifs or links to videos also welcome! :)

(Zhu Yilong with red lanterns)
You can mention the actor/character/drama in your comment if you like (and add as much detail as you want), or just post your pics out of context. Spoiler cuts can be found in previous picspam posts if you need them!

ETA: Currently moving my website -- sorry if the images stop working for a bit!

aurumcalendula

Title: One Woman Army
Fandom: Multifandom
Music: One Woman Army by Porcelain Black
Summary: 'I'm a one woman army'
Notes: Premiered at TGIFemslash 2026!
Warnings: quick cuts, flashing lights, violence

AO3 | DW | bsky | tumblr | YouTube

dancing_serpent

grayswandir

Hey! :) So, I've been working on making English subs for a historical Cdrama (set in the mid 1700s/early Qianlong era), Take Care, Your Highness (it's an old Hong Kong series from the 80s -- probably not something I can exactly recommend unless you're already into old TVB shows, but I did enjoy it and decided to make a project of subtitling it while watching it last summer). I've got all 20 episodes done now, except for a few places where I either still can't understand the Chinese or am not sure how best to translate a historical term. So, some questions! I'd be grateful if anyone can help. :)

(I've included the Mandarin subtitles for most of my questions below, so there's no need to know Cantonese. And I've also converted everything to simplified characters — but you can scroll down and click the spoiler cut at the bottom to see the same post with traditional characters.)

( General translation questions )
( Historical terms and titles )
( Literary stuff )
( A couple of Cantonese questions )

And, since I can't really read simplified and can't guarantee that everything got converted correctly above:

Click here for the same questions, but with traditional characters instead of simplified.

Some general translation questions:

What does "你真是吃了大蒜了" mean? In context, it seems like the speaker is saying something like "you've really lost your mind," but I've tried googling and can't find any reference for the meaning of "eating a garlic." (The Cantonese is the same, "你真係食大蒜喇.") [Possibly solved -- maybe a Cantonese phrase meaning someone is boastful??]
~~"你把我的頭都給問大了" – Is this like "You're making my head spin [with all these questions]"?~~ [solved!]
Speaking about a scroll on a table, someone says "我有一次不小心掀了一下." Does this mean he casually/carelessly picked it up? Or opened it? (The Cantonese sounds like "我有一次唔覺意[挈?]咗一下.") [solved!]
The context for this one is that Character A is being hired as the nursemaid of a (kidnapped) baby, and wants to know if she'll be living in the same room with the baby. She asks"我是不是跟他住一間房？" and is told (by the guy who hired her, who is also trying to sleep with her) "不一定。有時候也許會換到其他房子。" My question is, is there any way to know whether the answer means "sometimes the baby might be put in another room" or "sometimes you might be moved to another room"? [solved!]
For this question I'm mostly wondering how the grammar works in the last part of this sentence: "朝中文武百官，人人得而誅之." Google Translate says this means "All civil and military officials in the court have the right to execute him," which makes sense in context (so I assume it's correct), but I don't understand how 得而誅之 translates to "have the right to execute [him]." Does this follow some kind of idiomatic/literary grammar construction? [solved!]
Context for this one is the Emperor saying he's already taken precautions against an enemy; he says he's arranged everything, and as soon as his enemy makes any move, "朕就可以仁至義盡." I'm not sure how to understand 仁至義盡 here, as it seems to mean showing kindness/benevolence? Is the phrase being used sarcastically? [solved!]

Some questions about historical terms or phrases:
Is there an established/common way to translate 國丈 (a term for the Emperor's father-in-law/the father of the Empress)? I'm not really sure what to do with it as a term of direct address...
~~Similar question: how should I translate 總管 as a title, e.g. when people address 王總管? "Steward Wang"?~~ [solved, I think! per forestofglory's link, it looks like "Supervisor-in-Chief" is the usual translation, though this is long and will be a pain to put into subtitles... XD]
And another: how should I translate 嫡妃 (meaning the legitimate/primary/first wife)? In context, the Crown Prince is offering to marry a woman and make her his 嫡妃, so my guess would be "Crown Princess"?
Two terms with第 that I'm not sure how to translate: 太史第 and 上書第. It seems 太史 can mean Court Astronomer, Imperial Historian , or Grand Scribe, so is 太史第 like "The Grand Scribe's Residence" or maybe "The Grand Scribe's Office"?? And is 上書第, like... "The Memorial Scribe's Manor"? "The Memorials Office"??
I think I've got this, but I just want to check my translation: "戶部侍郎兼軍機處行走" → "Vice-Minister of Revenue and a member of the Grand Council" (I can't find any dictionary references for 行走 meaning "member," but Google Translate gives this meaning, and it seems to make sense in context).
Can I translate "三條胡同" as "Third Street"? Context is someone saying they're not sure where a certain house is located ("不知是在三條胡同那兒").
In one scene, the Emperor orders for his son to be taken back to "溫寢宮." This term seems to refer to the residence/quarters of the Emperor, so since it's the Emperor himself speaking, can I translate it as something like "take him back to my palace"?
Does "紫玉樓" refer to a specific place and/or is it some kind of metaphor? It's mentioned in two different scenes. From context, my best guess is that it refers to the residence of the Prince Consort (駙馬爺), but I can't find any confirmation of this. In one scene, the Princess (the Prince Consort's wife) is visiting her father-in-law's villa, and he says "請把這兒當作紫玉樓一樣" (Cantonese: "請當呢度係紫玉樓一樣"), and his sentiment seems likely to be "make yourself at home." In another scene, the same Princess is offered a villa to live in, but declines, asking"住在這兒和住在紫玉樓有什麼分別呢？" i.e. "what's the difference between living here and living in 紫玉樓?" But I can't tell if 紫玉樓 refers to her actual home or if it has some broader/metaphorical meaning.
Is there (or historically was there) a river called 多羅大河? A general says "我軍已經進入多羅大河," but I can't seem to find any reference for a "Duoluo River." Am I missing something, or is this a fictional river name the writers invented?
I suspect the writers just screwed this up, but it baffles me so I've got to ask about it. In one scene, Qianlong has a map that was drawn by the Kangxi Emperor. On the map is written "康熙甲子手御筆" (which, as far as I can tell, should mean the map was drawn in 1684, the only Jiazi year that happened in Kangxi's lifetime). After reading these words aloud, Qianlong comments, "這是皇阿爺十幾歲時劃的" (Cantonese: "係皇阿爺十幾歲嗰陣時劃嘅"), which should mean Kangxi (Qianlong's grandfather) drew the map when he was in his teens... but this makes no sense? Kangxi would have been 30 in 1684. A few minutes later, Qianlong comments that it's been sixty-some years since the map was drawn, which should mean the map was drawn sometime between 1665-1675 (because the present-day setting has to be 1735, as Qianlong is about to take the throne). Is there some possible way "康熙甲子" could refer to a year between 1665-1675? Or did the writers just throw "康熙甲子" into the script because it sounded cool/historical, with no regard for what year it actually referred to??

Literary questions
There's a scene where one of the characters (an irreverent teenager who is abusing his tutor by writing poetry on him with a brush) quotes from the poem 愛蓮說, but changes the lines slightly. The original poem says "牡丹之愛，宜乎眾矣," but he changes the words to "牡丹之愛宜『平稟』矣"). I can't understand the meaning of the changed line. Any help on how to translate this??
A woman sends her lover a breakup letter, and also returns to him a broken jade pendant that was his gift to her. Her letter opens with the line "玉碎珠還." This doesn't seem to be a common phrase in itself, but there seem to be several similar common phrases (玉碎珠沉, 珠沉玉碎, 玉碎珠沒), and per Google they usually refer to something beautiful irreparably lost, especially a woman who has died. What I don't understand is how to interpret 還 in this version. "The jade is broken, the pearls are returned"? Or does 還 have some other meaning I'm missing?

A couple of questions specifically about Cantonese terms
The context here is a guy who is being invited to share a meal with some people he holds a grudge against; he declines and says what sounds like "費事食完之後背脊骨落" or maybe "費事食完老子有背脊骨落." The Mandarin subs say "免得吃了以後反胃," which is quite different, but I have no idea what "背脊骨落" means (assuming I'm even hearing it right)...
I don't even know how to transcribe this one. XD A girl (who has just gone out shopping at some street stalls with the Emperor) tells her husband "我同皇上去咗[騎騎嘰?]" — I'm pretty sure the first two syllables are ke4 ke4 (probably 騎騎?), the third could be gi/git/ki/kit? Seems like a high or mid tone? The girl's husband seems confused by the term, but she doesn't really explain what it means when he asks. (The Mandarin subs just say "我跟皇上去逛街".)

full_metal_ox

…what form is the Fire Horse (17 February 2026 to 5 February 2027) going to take in the DMBJ fandom bestiary?

dancing_serpent

This is the monthly round-up for January 2026.

• Fanart for: DMBJ - More DMBJ Calendar art!

• Fanfic for: Legend of Zang Hai

• Fanfic for: Love Game in Eastern Fantasy

• Cdrama dvds?

• Admin Post: Announcement - Taking a Step Back

• Fanart for: MLC - Bestest doggo art!

• Fanfic for: my 12 Days of Christmas offer... Well, the 6 relevant to this com ;D

• Four Fic Prezzies received! (three Guardian, one Ancient Detective)

• Graphics: Unlikely Birthday Buddies, v2.

• Did You Make a Thing?

And of course we had the monthly round-up for December 2025 and our weekly chats on the 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and the 31st

Did you discover an entry you missed? Come on over and take a look/comment!

dancing_serpent

This month is almost over, so, let's hear it. *g* How did it go with your fannish creativity?

Did you manage to make a thing?

Created fanart or made vids? Wrote fic or meta? How about picspams, link collections, character mood boards, themed playlists, promo posts, or whatever else you create for fannish enjoyment?

Here's the place to share it with us! Leave a link in the comments, or elaborate on it as much as you want.

dancing_serpent

full_metal_ox

Wrangled my meme from 23 January 2024 into a slightly more Tumblr-friendly shape; reproduce and distribute freely, as long as you credit me and don’t feed it to generative AI.

Once again: happy birthday (23 January as of 19:26 US Eastern Standard Time) to Lan Wangji from Mo Dao Zu Shi and Hei Xiazi from Daomu Biji!

dancing_serpent

amedia

I have received five lovely gift fics of one kind or another over the past few months, and four of them were based on C-dramas or C-novels! One Guardian drama, two Guardian novel, and one Ancient Detective!

help me to carry the fire, it will light our way forever by Acoyotewhowanders (1173 words) is a lovely Guardian (drama) fic that coyote wrote for me as a surprise Christmas present! It is soft and sweet with gentle humor arising naturally from the characters and their interactions, and features ChuGuo moving toward becoming ChuGuoYeHuo. ❤️ 💚 ❤️ 💚 ❤️

The Best Laid Plans of Ye Xiaoxiao by Corvidology (1097 words) is part of corvidology's "12 Days of Christmas" ficlet giftwriting. I requested a rarepair (Ye Xiaoxiao/Hei Wu) from the c-drama Ancient Detective, and then forgot that I had done so ... so it came as a lovely, lovely surprise! It captures distinctive character notes for each of them, and has a beautiful ending. 💙 💜 💗 💜 💙

Zhen Hun Bibliomancy Tanka by Ride_Forever (110 words) is part of Ride's More Joy Day celebration. A fascinating, elliptical, enigmatic poem based on Guardian, Vol. I by Priest, and it's a gift for ME!!! Captures both the darkness and the humorous tone of the novel, IMHO. Includes implied Weilan and a whole verse for Da Qing. ✨ 💖 ✨ 💖 ✨

He who loves the light by Hyde_DualDomination (2,343 words), the latest in the series "The face beneath the mask," in which Lin Jing and Gui Mian from the Guardian novelverse gradually craft a relationship together. I thoroughly enjoyed the first fic in the series, especially the interweaving of Buddhist philosophy with the characters' self-discoveries and relationship progress, and Hyde wrote more for me, yay!!! 💖💖💖

dancing_serpent

corvidology

The Best Laid Plans of Ye Xiaoxiao (1097 words) 侠探简不知 | Ancient Detective (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Hei Wu/Qian Mian Ren | Ye Xiaoxiao
Characters: Hei Wu (Ancient Detective), Qian Mian Ren | Ye Xiaoxiao
Additional Tags: Wound Care, Fever, Delirium, Declarations Of Love
Amedia prompted: Ye Xiaoxiao/Hei Wu, a quiet, happy moment together.

All Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (972 words) HIStory3 - 圈套 | HIStory3: Trapped (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Jack | Fang Liangdian/Zhao Li'an | Zhao-zi
Characters: Jack | Fang Liangdian, Zhao Li'an | Zhao-zi
Additional Tags: Restraints, Vanilla is a complex flavour, Inexperienced but game
Dishonestdreams prompted: "You never know, I might surprise you."

Badges of Honor (421 words) L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Time Engraver (L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials)/original character
Characters: Time Engraver (L'Oreal "Time Engraver" Commercials)
Additional Tags: 12 Days of Christmas, The Dongzhi festival, First Time, immortal/mortal, Rebirth
Trobadora asked for: A winter holiday ficlet for the Time Engraver, Sorry, Dora. I wandered off a bit.

The Joke Was on Him (300 words) 双夭记 | The Silent Criminal (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Long Yao/Shi Jingyao
Characters: Long Yao (The Silent Criminal), Shi Jingyao
Additional Tags: Triple Drabble, Oblivious, Unintended Consequences
Dreamy_Dragon prompted: Unexpected change.

Getting Out of Their Heads (474 words) 猎罪图鉴 | Under the Skin (TV 2022)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Du Cheng/Shen Yi (Under the Skin 2022)
Characters: Du Cheng (Under the Skin 2022), Shen Yi (Under the Skin 2022)
Fangirlishness prompted: Shen Yi is overworked/stressed/gets in too deep and Du Cheng helps to get him out of his head.

A Transformative Evening (785 words) 阴阳师 | Yīn Yáng Shī | The Yin-yang Master (Movies - Guo Jingming)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Bo Ya/Qing Ming (Yin Yang Shi)
Characters: Bo Ya (Yin Yang Shi), Qing Ming (Yin Yang Shi)
Additional Tags: Transformation, Pining, First Kiss, Animal Transformation
Shadaras prompted: Transformation.

mekare

A recent

snowflake_challenge prompted to talk about pets (real life, or canon pets) and instead I made two pieces for Hulijing from Mysterious Lotus Casebook:

Preview: a dog and man in hanfu

Full view in my journal

dancing_serpent

Chinese Entertainment

Sticky: Welcome to Chinese Entertainment on DW!

Admin Post: Sticky: Announcement - Taking a Step Back

Eldest Prince Above fic

Weekly Chat

恭喜發財! (Chinese New Year Picspam)

New Multifandom Vid

Weekly Chat

Weekly Chat

Help with translating some phrases/lines from a historical Cdrama?

If 2025 was the Year of the Hydra Cypress…

Monthly Round-Up

Weekly Chat

Did You Make a Thing?

Weekly Chat

Unlikely Birthday Buddies, v2.

Weekly Chat

Four Fic Prezzies received! (three Guardian, one Ancient Detective)

Weekly Chat

Fan fiction written for my 12 Days of Christmas offer... Well, the 6 relevant to this com ;D

Bestest doggo art!

Weekly Chat

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