Although it's still early enough in the new year for most resolutions to remain unbroken, the Chinese internet is already buzzing with the newest online viral phrase of 2017.
Over the years, many counterfeit products have been made in China, so it's finally time for counterfeit culture to make something of its own. For example, China's newest funny way of making lame excuses comes in the form of this phrase: It‘s possible I may have (verbed) a fake (object).
In Chinese and pinyin this would read: 我可能 (verb) 了假 (object) and Wǒ kěnéng (verb) le jiǎ (object).
This meme reference China's copycat culture (山寨 shānzhài) as a convenient way to shift blame by using an excuse that no one could ever take seriously.
Here's some examples to get familiar with this trending phrase:
Are you getting poor grades in school? Well, it may not be your fault. Just tell your teacher: 我可能复习了假书 It's possible I may have studied from a fake textbook (Wǒ kě néng fù xí le jiǎ shū).
China is rife with fake food that can make people unhealthy. Just the same, its classrooms may be filled with fake education resulting in poor education. So if you have trouble following your professor's lesson, you can say: 我可能听的是假课 It's possible I may have been following a fake lecture (Wǒ kěnéng tīng de shì jiǎ kè).
Or, you can make a bigger accusation by saying: 我可能上的是假大学 It's possible I may have been attending a fake university (Wǒ kěnéng shàng de shì jiǎ dàxué).
The meme contains many references to school because it is very popular with young students who can sympathize with giving excuses to stern teachers.
However, the meme's first appearance on the net doesn't have to do with school:
我可能是喝了假酒 It's possible I may have drunk fake alcohol (Wǒ kěnéng shì hē le jiǎ jiǔ).
NetEase reports that the meme may have originated from player communities of Counter Strike: Go, a competitive online first-person shooter video game. Another theory connects the meme to a counterfeit alcohol case in Russia that caused several deaths.
What we do know for sure is that this phrase is associated with the fake terracotta warriors news story that happened earlier this month in which a popular blog complaining about tourist scams in Xi'an led to police action.
Although the blogger didn't coin the phrase herself, many Chinese internet stories about the incident have used the same grammatic structure: 可能参观了假兵马俑 "...may have visited the fake terracotta warriors" (Wǒ kě néng cānguān le jiǎ bīng mǎ yǒng).
While the meanings are different, this meme is very similar to the "I've made a huge mistake" running gag from the cult TV show Arrested Development in which an admission of guilt comes too late to be of any use. Like, say from behind bars.
China's newest meme likewise implies that it's too late to be making excuses, but it's funny all the same to try, especially using an awkward grammatic form.
Is it possible you have been read a fake blog? Here are some more examples:
Having relationship problems? Does your boyfriend not listen to you during intimate moments or otherwise? That's when you'd say: 我可能是交了假男友 It's possible I may be going out with a fake boyfriend (Wǒ kěnéng shì jiāo le jiǎ nányǒu).
Did you burn the midnight oil and stay up all night? You can tell your boss you were late for work by explaining: 我可能睡了假觉 It's possible I may have slept a false sleep (Wǒ kěnéng shuì le jiǎ jiào).
Have you ever had an opinion that you were convinced is the right one, only to find out you were wrong? Well, it's not your fault. Just tell people that: 我可能长了个假脑 It's possible I may have grown a fake brain in my head (Wǒ kě néng cháng liǎo gè jiǎ nǎo).
This meme would go on to inspire others, but not before it flared out magnificently in what may be the final form of this particular meme.
If someone accuses you have not having any humanity, you could just reply in return: 我可能是个假人 It's possible I may be a fake person (Wǒ kěnéng shì gè jiǎ rén).
Mandarin Monday is a weekly column where – similar to our Mandarin Month series from last year – we help you improve your Chinese by detailing fun and practical phrases and characters.
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