You understand

你懂的 (nǐ dǒng de): you understand

Ever since winning China’s Super Girl competition in 2005, Li Yuchun (李宇春) has attracted a cult following. Famous for her singing, and perhaps more for her androgynous appearance, Li Yuchun has become a staple of both online satire and adoring praise. Ms. Chun is sometimes referred to as “Brother Chun”.

Her popularity rose to such an extent that netizens began depicting her as a savior figure using Christian iconography. A famous saying developed, “Believe in Brother Chun and receive eternal life.”

In 2010, netizens began posting a series of comments that ended with “Brother, I’m sure you understand.” For example, “Brother, I have a test next week so I want to pay my respects to you. I’m sure you understand,” “My World of Warcraft account was hacked into, I still think there’s time for me to start believing in you. I’m sure you understand.”

Li Yuchun