that in the Chinese version of Disney’s Mulan, the fake name she gives is “Ping”, but her family name “Fa” in English is “Hua” in Chinese, therefore her full name is “Hua Ping”, which is literally “Flower Vase”, and that’s why Shang is so bewildered because it’s a silly name.
but OP how could you not tell them the best part
“hua ping”/flower vase is chinese slang for “camp gay”
I—
Mulan, introducing her soldiersona: Hello yes it is me, a twink
No wonder Shang thought he had a shot with Ping.
I’ve seen this post countless time but I’ve never heard of nor read about any use of the word “vase” as “camp gay”. Not in Taiwan, not in China.
花平/Hua Ping is pronounced the same as 花瓶/A vase, which is a very common chinese slang for “pretty but useless woman”, a bit similar to the word bimbo, which is a fun pun for Mulan because we know she’s anything but useless. I’m pretty sure this is the pun most if not all native chinese speaker think of when hearing the name.
About her fake name 花平, 花 is a less common surnam which means flower. The word for her given name 平 has multiple meanings: a flat surface; peaceful; without turbulence. It is a common word chosen by parents to name their kids. The former leader of China 鄧小平 has the exact same word in his name.
Also, the derogatory slang for gay is “glass/玻璃”. I believe it’s from Hong Kong and it’s a recent word (as in created in the 20th centry). It’s an insultful word and you shouldn’t use it.
The newer slang for gay is “基" because it is pronunced similarly as “gay” in Cantonese. The word can be used as a neutral term or for less serious occassion (usually on internet to write things such as “this is Gay”), there are many puns based on this word but it’s still not a formal or actual friendly word so… better not throw the word easily if you don’t know the circumstances.
The neutral/friendly word for gay/homosexual people is 同志, which originally means “comrades. (People) with the same ideal.” People took the “same/同” in 同志 as a pun/euphemism for “homosexual/同性戀”. This is the word used in more formal (but not academic formal) and friendly occasion.
Shino/Dawn 