Have everything but Daddy

五行缺爹 (wǔ xíng què diē): have everything but daddy

On September 10, 2014, students at Beijing Normal University held up banners to welcome Xi Jinping.

A mockery of the official nickname for Xi Jinping: 习大大 (Xí Dàda) or Daddy Xi, as well as those people who slavishly follow Daddy Xi.

五行缺爹 is a play on the traditional Chinese concept of "五行 (wǔ xíng)" or "Five Elements," which include gold, wood, water, fire and earth. If one lacks one of the five elements by birth, he or she must make up the difference by incorporating that element into his or her life in other ways.

Netizens coined this term as a response to official use of a colloquial term of endearment for the leader. In an effort to bring Xi closer to the people, state media often call him “Daddy Xi” (习大大 Xí Dàda). “Daddy” (dada) comes from the Shaanxi dialect of Mandarin. Xi’s father, Xi Zhongxun, was born in Shaanxi, so “daddy” is a nod to this heritage. The same term can also mean “uncle,” but either way connotes familiarity and warmth. When ordinary citizens give Xi a sycophantic reception, netizens will joke that these devotees ”have everything but daddy.”

In celebration of China’s 30th Teachers’ Day in September 2014, Xi Jinping visited Beijing Normal University. State media focused on the rockstar reception Xi enjoyed, when 500 students and teachers gathered to cheer. China Youth Daily reported students shouted slogans like “The Secretary-General has worked hard for us!” (总书记辛苦了！). One teacher said Xi’s reception was like a “superstar concert.”

On September 10, 2014, Weibo user AKTulip responded sarcastically to the rockstar treatment of President Xi, “If you don’t know what ‘daddy’ means in dialect, look it up on Baidu. Shouting in the streets like this, do you have everything but daddy?” (方言里”大大”什么意思不懂可以去百度，这样满街乱叫，你们是五行缺爹吗？)

Examples:

Tanggula (@唐古拉): Those people "have everything but daddy." Mao, Deng, Jiang, Hu, Xi, whoever enthroned, makes them full of hope. Then they project all their illusion and hope to the newly enthroned, good emperor. They would kneel down and shout out "daddy" (it doesn't make a difference whether you call him "long live", "daddy" or "grandpa"). Anyone who doesn't shout out "daddy" like they do is viewed as their enemy. And ten years later, the daddy has reached his term limit, they will chase after a new daddy. (August 15, 2014)

那些人”五行缺爹“，毛邓江胡习，无论谁登基他们都满怀希望，把自己的幻想期盼都投射到新登基的明君身上，恨不能下跪喊爹（喊万岁喊大大喊亲爷爷之类，都一样）。任何不象他们一样喊爹的，都是他们的敌人。然后十年后，爹的任期满了，他们再去捧新爹。[Chinese]