同人

• Pinyin: tóng rén
• Hanzi breakdown: 同 = same, together; 人 = person

Meaning

Fan-created works; people of the same profession or hobby; like-minded individuals.

In modern usage, primarily refers to fan fiction, fan art, and other derivative creative works based on existing media. Also traditionally means colleagues or people sharing similar interests. The fan works meaning comes from Japanese doujin culture but is now widespread in Chinese internet communities.

Examples

1. 这部小说的同人创作特别多，各种配对都有人写。 There's a ton of fan fiction for this novel — people have written every possible pairing.
2. 她在网上发布的同人漫画获得了几十万的点击量。 The fan comics she posted online got hundreds of thousands of views.
3. 同人圈子里有个不成文的规矩，就是不要把同人内容推到原作者面前。 There's an unwritten rule in the fan community: don't push fan content to the original creator.

Usage Guide

Context: internet culture, fandom, creative communities

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 同人作品。(Fan-created works.)
• 同人圈。(Fan community.)

Don't Say

• 在正式场合用'同人'指代同事 (In formal contexts, use 同事 for colleagues — 同人 now primarily means fan works)

Origin & History

同 means same/together, 人 means person. Originally referred to people with shared interests; modern meaning influenced by Japanese doujin culture.

Cultural Context

Generation: Younger generations

Social background: Universal