====== tóngrén: 同人 - Fan Fiction, Doujin, Coterie ======
===== Quick Summary =====
  * **Keywords:** 同人, tóngrén, doujin, doujinshi, Chinese fan fiction, fan art, fan-created works, C-fandom, fan works, coterie, secondary creation, 二次创作
  * **Summary:** **同人 (tóngrén)** is a modern Chinese term, borrowed from Japanese, that refers to fan-created works such as **fan fiction, fan art, and fan games** based on existing media like anime, novels, or TV shows. As the direct cultural equivalent of the Japanese "doujin," **tóngrén** describes the vast world of amateur, derivative content created by fans for other fans. While it has classical roots meaning a "coterie" or group of like-minded people, its contemporary usage is almost exclusively tied to online and pop culture fandom.
===== Core Meaning =====
  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** tóngrén
  * **Part of Speech:** Noun
  * **HSK Level:** N/A
  * **Concise Definition:** Fan-created works based on existing media (fan fiction, fan art); also, a group of people with the same interests.
  * **In a Nutshell:** Imagine a group of fans who love a book or movie so much that they start creating their own art and stories set in that universe. That entire world of fan-made content is called **同人 (tóngrén)** in Chinese. While the characters literally mean "same people," signifying a community with shared interests, today it's the go-to term for the creations of that community. It is the Chinese equivalent of "fan works" in English or "doujin" in Japanese.
===== Character Breakdown =====
  * **同 (tóng):** This character means "same," "alike," or "together." It's composed of a frame and a mouth (口), suggesting a group of people speaking with one voice or in agreement within a shared space.
  * **人 (rén):** This is one of the simplest and most common characters, meaning "person" or "people." It's a pictograph of a person walking.
  * Together, **同人 (tóngrén)** literally translates to "same people." This originally referred to a clique, a coterie, or a fellowship of individuals with shared goals or beliefs. This classical meaning perfectly evolved to describe the modern phenomenon of a "fandom"—a group of "same people" who share a passion for a particular piece of media and create works for each other.
===== Cultural Context and Significance =====
**同人 (tóngrén)** has a fascinating dual history. Its classical meaning appears in ancient texts like the //I Ching// (Book of Changes) to describe "fellowship with men." However, its modern, dominant meaning is a re-import from Japan.
In Japan, the same characters (pronounced //dōjin//) evolved to describe self-published works created by amateur artists and writers. These works, especially those based on popular anime and manga, became a cornerstone of fan culture, sold at massive conventions like Comiket.
This Japanese "doujin" culture was imported into China, along with anime and manga, in the 1990s and 2000s. The term **同人** was adopted to describe this same phenomenon.
**Comparison with Western "Fandom":**
The concept is very similar to "fan fiction" or "fan works" in the West. However, the East Asian **同人 (tóngrén)** scene is often more organized and commercially oriented. While Western fan fiction communities (like on Archive of Our Own) are typically non-profit, the **同人** scene in China, Taiwan, and Japan features large-scale conventions where creators sell physical copies of their fan comics and novels (**同人志, tóngrénzhì**). This makes **同人** culture a significant sub-economy and a semi-public sphere for creative expression, whereas Western fandom often remains more private and online-focused.
===== Practical Usage in Modern China =====
In modern conversation, **同人** almost exclusively refers to its pop culture meaning. It is a neutral, descriptive term used by fans.
  * **As a General Noun for Fan Works:** It serves as an umbrella term. People will specify the type of work:
    * **同人小说 (tóngrén xiǎoshuō):** Fan fiction
    * **同人图 (tóngrén tú):** Fan art
    * **同人漫画 (tóngrén mànhuà):** Fan comic / Doujinshi
    * **同人游戏 (tóngrén yóuxì):** Fan-made game
  * **Describing the Community:** The term **同人圈 (tóngrénquān)**, meaning "the tóngrén circle/community," is used frequently to refer to the collective group of fans and creators.
  * **Formality:** It is an informal, colloquial term used within fandom and by those familiar with youth pop culture. You would not use it in a formal academic or business setting unless the topic was specifically pop culture.
===== Example Sentences =====
  * **Example 1:** 
    * 我最近在写一篇关于《哈利·波特》的**同人**小说。
    * Pinyin: Wǒ zuìjìn zài xiě yī piān guānyú "Hālì·Bōtè" de **tóngrén** xiǎoshuō.
    * English: I've recently been writing a **fan fiction** story about "Harry Potter".
    * Analysis: This is the most common usage, where **同人** acts as an adjective modifying "novel" (小说) to mean "fan fiction."
  * **Example 2:** 
    * 这位画师的**同人**作品质量非常高，几乎和官方一样好。
    * Pinyin: Zhè wèi huàshī de **tóngrén** zuòpǐn zhìliàng fēicháng gāo, jīhū hé guānfāng yīyàng hǎo.
    * English: This artist's **fan-created works** are of very high quality, almost as good as the official ones.
    * Analysis: Here, **同人** modifies "works" (作品) and is contrasted with "official" (官方, guānfāng), highlighting its fan-made nature.
  * **Example 3:** 
    * 你看没看过那篇超火的**同人**，里面他们俩终于在一起了！
    * Pinyin: Nǐ kàn méi kàn guo nà piān chāo huǒ de **tóngrén**, lǐmiàn tāmen liǎ zhōngyú zài yīqǐ le!
    * English: Have you read that super popular **fanfic** where the two of them finally get together?
    * Analysis: In casual speech, **同人** can be used alone to refer to a specific fan work, usually a fan fiction story.
  * **Example 4:** 
    * 这个周末我要去参加一个**同人**展，希望能买到喜欢的本子。
    * Pinyin: Zhège zhōumò wǒ yào qù cānjiā yī ge **tóngrén** zhǎn, xīwàng néng mǎidào xǐhuān de běnzi.
    * English: This weekend I'm going to a **doujin/fan works** convention, I hope I can buy some booklets I like.
    * Analysis: This demonstrates the cultural practice of **同人** conventions (**同人展**). "本子" (běnzi) is slang for self-published fan books.
  * **Example 5:** 
    * 刚入**同人**圈的时候，我什么都不懂。
    * Pinyin: Gāng rù **tóngrén**quān de shíhòu, wǒ shénme dōu bù dǒng.
    * English: When I first got into the **fandom/doujin community**, I didn't understand anything.
    * Analysis: Shows the use of **同人圈 (tóngrénquān)** to refer to the community or subculture itself.
  * **Example 6:** 
    * 警告：这篇**同人**可能会有OOC（角色性格不符）。
    * Pinyin: Jǐnggào: Zhè piān **tóngrén** kěnéng huì yǒu OOC (juésè xìnggé bù fú).
    * English: Warning: This **fanfic** might contain OOC (Out of Character).
    * Analysis: This illustrates how specific fandom terminology like "OOC" is used within the context of **同人**.
  * **Example 7:** 
    * 她不仅看**同人**，自己也产出，是个很有名的作者。
    * Pinyin: Tā bùjǐn kàn **tóngrén**, zìjǐ yě chǎnchū, shì ge hěn yǒumíng de zuòzhě.
    * English: She doesn't just read **fan works**, she also produces them; she's a very famous creator.
    * Analysis: "产出" (chǎnchū), literally "to produce," is common slang in the **同人圈** for creating fan content.
  * **Example 8:** 
    * 这只是我的**同人**设定，跟官方剧情没有任何关系。
    * Pinyin: Zhè zhǐshì wǒ de **tóngrén** shèdìng, gēn guānfāng jùqíng méiyǒu rènhé guānxì.
    * English: This is just my **fan-made** setting (headcanon); it has nothing to do with the official plot.
    * Analysis: This clearly separates fan-created ideas (**同人设定**) from official canon (**官方剧情**).
  * **Example 9:** 
    * 我最喜欢的CP的**同人**图太少了，只能自己画了。
    * Pinyin: Wǒ zuì xǐhuān de CP de **tóngrén** tú tài shǎo le, zhǐ néng zìjǐ huà le.
    * English: There's too little **fan art** of my favorite pairing (CP), I have no choice but to draw it myself.
    * Analysis: This sentence incorporates another key fandom term, "CP" (Couple/Pairing), showing how central pairings are to **同人** culture.
  * **Example 10:** 
    * 什么是“**同人**”？简单来说，就是粉丝基于原作进行的二次创作。
    * Pinyin: Shénme shì "**tóngrén**"? Jiǎndān láishuō, jiùshì fěnsī jīyú yuánzuò jìnxíng de èrcì chuàngzuò.
    * English: What is "**tóngrén**"? Simply put, it's secondary creation done by fans based on an original work.
    * Analysis: This sentence provides a perfect definition, linking **同人** to the more formal term **二次创作 (èrcì chuàngzuò)**, or "secondary creation."
===== Nuances and Common Mistakes =====
  * **False Friend: Not "Colleague".** In Japanese business contexts, 同人 (dōjin) can sometimes refer to a literary group or even colleagues. In modern Chinese, this usage is virtually non-existent. Do not use **同人** to mean "colleague"—the correct word for that is **同事 (tóngshì)**.
  * **Mistake: Confusing with "Official".** The most critical distinction is that **同人** is, by definition, **unofficial**. It is fan-made content. The opposite is **官方 (guānfāng)**, meaning "official." Forgetting this distinction can lead to major confusion about what is canon in a story.
    * **Incorrect:** 这个角色的结局是官方**同人**。 (This character's ending is the official fan work.) -> //This is contradictory.//
    * **Correct:** 这个角色的官方结局我不喜欢，所以我去看**同人**了。(I don't like this character's official ending, so I went to read fan fiction.)
  * **It's More Than Just Writing:** While **同人小说** (fan fiction) is a huge part of the culture, don't assume the term only refers to text. It's an umbrella term for all forms of fan-created media, including art, comics, music, and games.
===== Related Terms and Concepts =====
  * [[同人志]] (tóngrénzhì) - The physical, self-published magazines, comics, or novels of fan works. The "-zhi" (志) means "publication" or "record."
  * [[同人圈]] (tóngrénquān) - The fan community or "circle" dedicated to creating and consuming fan works.
  * [[二次元]] (èrcìyuán) - The "2D world" of Anime, Comics, and Games (ACG), which is the source material for the vast majority of **同人** content.
  * [[CP]] (CP) - An abbreviation for the English word "Couple" or "Pairing." It refers to a romantic relationship between two characters, whether canon or fan-created, and is a primary driver of **同人** creation.
  * [[衍生]] (yǎnshēng) - A more formal term for "derivative work" or "spin-off." **同人** is a type of **衍生** work.
  * [[官方]] (guānfāng) - "Official." The direct antonym of **同人**. It refers to the source material and any content produced by the original creators.
  * [[OOC]] (OOC) - "Out of Character." A common acronym used in fandom to describe when a fan work portrays a character in a way that is inconsistent with their personality in the original source material.
  * [[二次创作]] (èrcì chuàngzuò) - "Secondary creation." A more formal and broader term for fan works or any creation based on a pre-existing work. **同人** is the most common colloquial term for this concept.
  * [[太太]] (tàitai) - Literally "madam" or "Mrs." In the **同人圈**, this is a slang term of high respect for a very skilled and popular fan artist or writer.