草泥马
释义 DEFINITION
草泥马是中国互联网语境下的谐音梗，原词为脏话'肏你妈'。该词通过同音字替换规避网络审查，逐渐演变成具有多重含义的网络符号：
- 字面指代虚构的'网络神兽'，常与'河蟹'（和谐）等词组成讽刺性寓言
- 作为情绪宣泄的委婉表达
- 演变为亚文化meme，出现在表情包、视频等二次创作中
目前主要作为网络流行语使用，兼具攻击性和娱乐性双重属性。
词源故事 ETYMOLOGY
2009年绿坝事件期间，中国加强网络审查，网民发明'草泥马'等十大神兽进行隐喻反抗。这个谐音梗迅速在贴吧、QQ群传播，衍生出完整的虚构生态：它们生活在'马勒戈壁'（谐音脏话），以'河蟹'为天敌。百度百科曾出现正经的伪科普词条，配有PS的羊驼图片，形成强烈荒诞感。
2010年网友自制的《戈壁上的草泥马》动画在YouTube走红，用《蓝精灵》旋律唱道：'在那荒茫美丽马勒戈壁，我草泥马们活泼又聪明...'。这种将敏感词转化为萌系形象的反差创作，使其突破亚文化圈层，甚至引发主流媒体讨论。如今该词更多作为互联网时代的文化符号存在，当年轻人说'我去草泥马公园撸神兽'时，往往带着对审查机制的戏谑和解构。
例句：
- '这个弹幕网站迟早要被河蟹，多存点草泥马表情包吧'（表达对审查的担忧）
- '甲方又改需求？我心中的草泥马在戈壁滩上狂奔！'（替代脏话的幽默用法）
DEFINITION
Grass Mud Horse (Cǎo Ní Mǎ) is a legendary Chinese internet meme originating from 2009. It serves three cultural functions:
- As a homophonic substitute for a Mandarin profanity (similar to 'motherf*cker'), cleverly bypassing censorship filters
- A symbolic creature in netizen-created folklore representing resistance to internet censorship, often depicted battling 'River Crabs' (héxiè, homophone for 'harmony' referring to state censorship)
- A cultural phenomenon spawning creative derivatives like plush toys, animations, and parody songs
This meme exemplifies how Chinese netizens use linguistic creativity to express dissent under digital surveillance.
ETYMOLOGY
The Grass Mud Horse phenomenon began in 2009 during China's 'Green Dam' censorship initiative. Netizens created an elaborate mythology: these fictional creatures inhabit the 'Má Lè Gē Bì' grasslands (a homophonic pun on a vulgar expression), battling their natural predators - 'River Crabs' (héxiè, sounding like 'harmony', the official term for internet censorship).
A pivotal moment came with the 2010 parody video 'Grass Mud Horse Song' on YouTube, featuring alpacas (visually representing the 'mythical' creature) singing to the tune of 'The Smurfs': 'On the vast and beautiful Má Lè Gē Bì, we Grass Mud Horses are lively and clever...'. This whimsical resistance spawned plush toys, online games, and even academic papers analyzing its cultural impact.
Interestingly, the meme's evolution mirrors China's digital cat-and-mouse game: as censors blocked 'cǎonímǎ', variants like 'grass-mud-horse' and emoji combinations 🦙💨🐎 emerged. Today it's recognized globally as a symbol of creative dissent, featured in exhibits like the Museum of Modern Art's 'Items: Is Fashion Modern?' as a representation of digital-age folklore.