River crab

河蟹 (hé xiè): river crab

The word, "river crab" refers to internet censorship.

The Chinese government often uses its goal of constructing a "harmonious society" (和谐社会) as a justification for censorship. Chinese netizens parodied this word and began using it as a euphemism for censorship. River crab (hé xiè) sounds nearly the same in Chinese as harmonious (hé xié).

"River crab" can also be used as a verb, for example, instead of saying something has been censored, one might say "it has been harmonized" (被和谐了) or "it has been river-crabbed" (被河蟹了).

In Chinese language, calling someone a "crab" also means a "bully".

In the context of Chinese internet mythology, the river crab (censorship) threatens the habitat of the grass-mud horse (symbol of online deviance). For a famous YouTube video that illustrates this, see here.

Read more "river crab" contents on China Digital Times.

Picture of a river crab wearing three watches. ("Wear three watches" (带三个表) sounds the same as "Three Represents" (三个代表) Jiang Zemin's signature ideological creation.

National Flag of the Republic of Rivercrabs.

Flag of the People's Republic of China

The word "harmonious" written in Chinese--except various components have been modified to resemble the character radical used in the word "crab."