Today’s Episode
It’s the Year of the Horse… but why is Draco Malfoy suddenly China’s New Year mascot? 🐎✨ In this episode, we explore homophones, internet memes, and how young people mix pop culture with tradition. Let’s find out why it’s the Year of the Ma… and Malfoy!
Membership Preview
In next MaoMi Chinese+, we’re exploring lively and powerful expressions with “马”! 🐎 Why does this character appear in so many phrases? What do they really mean, and how can you use them naturally in daily conversation? Let’s level up your Chinese in a fun, practical way this Year of the Horse!
Support MaoMi & Get exclusive to premium content!
*Please be mindful that Spotify does not support the membership program.
大家好，欢迎回来 MaoMi Chinese！
马上就要过年了，今年是马年。我先祝大家新年快乐，马年大吉！
最近在网上，很多年轻人说，今年的“吉祥物”除了马，还有马尔福。吉祥物，意思就是可以给我们好运的人或者东西。马尔福是谁呢？他是《哈利·波特》里的一个角色(Draco Malfoy)，那个金色头发、有点骄傲的男生。为什么大家会选他呢？原因很简单，因为他的名字里有一个字——马。马尔福，第一个字就是“马”。所以很多网友开玩笑说，既然是马年，那就让马尔福来做吉祥物，给我们好运吧！
马尔福里的马，刚刚好是马年的马，这叫“谐音”。谐音，意思就是两个词听起来一样，或者很像。比如“马年”和“马尔福”，都有“马”。虽然一个是年份，一个是小说的角色，本来没有关系，但是因为发音一样，大家就把它们连在一起。这就是谐音。
然后网上就有了很多好玩的图片。有人把马尔福做成红色背景的年画。年画就是过年时贴在墙上的传统图片。有人给他加上“马到成功”这样的祝福。还有人说：“今年考试就靠你了，马尔福！”这些内容在中文里常常叫“梗”。梗，意思就是在网上流行的笑话，很多人都会用，也都明白。马尔福的演员也知道了这个事，他在他的社交媒体Instagram上也发了这个事，他觉得中国人用他做吉祥物，真的非常好玩，他也很开心。
当然，没有人真的相信马尔福可以带来好运，这只是年轻人过年的幽默。以前龙年的时候，有人会用名字里有“龙”的明星，比如成龙。猴年的时候，人们会想到孙悟空。现在马年，就是马尔福了。你可以看到，现在的春节文化不只是传统文化，也会加入电影、小说和流行文化。传统和现代放在一起，就变得更有趣了。
好啦，我们再来说说今天聊的词语吧。
吉祥物，就是可以给我们好运的人或者东西。比如，MaoMi Chinese的吉祥物是我的猫六一。
谐音，意思是两个词听起来一样，或者很像，比如马尔福和马年。
梗，意思是网上流行的笑话。比如，马尔福变成了中国年轻人新年的梗。
所以，如果你今年看到很多马尔福的图片，不要觉得奇怪。这只是中文里的谐音游戏，也是中国年轻人的幽默。今年是马尔福年，那明年又会是谁呢？如果是你的生肖年，你会选谁做你的吉祥物呢？欢迎给我们留言，分享你的想法！
Hello everyone, welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!
The New Year is just around the corner, and this year is the Year of the Horse. First of all, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year – and good luck in the Year of the Horse!
Recently, many young people online have been saying that this year’s “mascot” is not only the horse, but also Malfoy. A mascot is a person or thing that brings us good luck. So, who is Malfoy? He is a character from Harry Potter, the blond-haired, slightly arrogant boy. Why have people chosen him? The reason is very simple: there is a “马” (horse) in his Chinese name. 马尔福 (Malfoy) – the first character is “马”, which means horse. So many internet users joke that since it’s the Year of the Horse, we might as well let Malfoy be our mascot and bring us good luck!
The “马” in Malfoy happens to be the same “马” as in the Year of the Horse. This is called a “homophone”. A homophone means two words that sound the same, or very similar. For example, “马年” (Year of the Horse) and “马尔福” (Malfoy) both contain the sound “马”. One is a year in the lunar calendar, and the other is a character from a novel. Originally, they have nothing to do with each other. But because they sound the same, people connect them together. That’s what a homophone is.
Then lots of funny pictures appeared online. Some people turned Malfoy into a traditional New Year picture with a red background. A New Year picture is a traditional decoration people put on the wall during Spring Festival. Others added blessings such as “马到成功”, which means “may you achieve success immediately” – it also contains the word “horse”. Some people even said, “Malfoy, I’m counting on you for my exams this year!” In Chinese, this kind of popular online joke is often called a “meme” or “梗”. A “梗” means a joke or idea that becomes popular on the internet and that many people understand and use. The actor who played Malfoy also found out about this. He even posted about it on his Instagram, saying he thought it was great fun that Chinese people were using him as a New Year mascot, and he felt very happy about it.
Of course, no one truly believes that Malfoy can bring good luck. This is simply a bit of humour for the New Year. In previous Year of the Dragon, people used celebrities whose names include “龙” (dragon), such as Jackie Chan. In the Year of the Monkey, people think of the Monkey King. Now in the Year of the Horse, it’s Malfoy’s turn. You can see that Spring Festival culture today is not only traditional; it also includes films, novels and pop culture. When tradition and modern culture come together, it becomes even more interesting.
Right, let’s quickly go over today’s key words.
A mascot is a person or thing that brings good luck. For example, the mascot of MaoMi Chinese is my cat, Liu Yi.
A homophone means two words that sound the same or very similar, like Malfoy and the Year of the Horse.
A meme, or “梗”, is a popular internet joke. For example, Malfoy has become a New Year meme among young Chinese people.
So, if you see lots of pictures of Malfoy this year, don’t be surprised. It’s just a homophone joke in Chinese, and a bit of humour from young people in China. This year may feel like the Year of Malfoy – but who will it be next year? If it were your zodiac year, who would you choose as your mascot? Leave us a comment and share your ideas!