Love O2O (TV Show) - Learn Chinese with this Modern Drama

Love O2O (TV Show) – Review for Chinese Learners

Love O2O ( Play 微微一笑很倾城 wēi wēi yī xiào hěn qīng chéng) is one of the most watched modern Chinese dramas with over 25 billion views online!

Have a read of our review of Love O2O to find out why you should also become one of those viewers.

Love O2O – Introduction

Love O2O – Main Characters

Love O2O – Vocab in the show

Love O2O – Why it’s Great for Chinese Learners

Love O2O – Where to Watch

Love O2O – Introduction

Love O2O or 微微一笑很倾城 wēi wēi yī xiào hěn qīng chén in Chinese is a 2016 TV series that combines real-life drama with that of an online role-playing game. It is based on a novel of the same name.

At the centre of Love O2O is Bei Weiwei (贝微微 bèi wéiwéi) a clever and savvy computer science major. She is also a skilled online games player with a high rank in the online role-playing game A Chinese Ghost Story (新倩女幽魂 xīn qiànnǚ yōuhún).

Her career dream is to become an online game developer and help design the game she loves so much.

At the start of Love O2O Weiwei has a virtual in-game husband, who she has been partnered with for several months, but does not know the real identity of.

However, when he asks her to send a real photo of herself and she refuses he callously dumps her as his virtual in-game wife.

However, soon after the virtual break up she is approached by the game’s top player Yixiao Naihe (一笑奈何 yīxiào nàihé). He proposes that they get virtually married so that they can enter a couple competition within the game and Weiwei agrees.

Weiwei is unaware that the real identity of Yixiao Naihe is her college senior Xiao Nai, one of the most popular boys on campus.

He is known for excelling in both academics and sports.

Will Weiwei find out her new virtual husband’s real identity? What will happen if she does? Will Weiwei’s ex-virtual husband regret his decision to break up with her?

Well, we are giving away no spoilers so you will have to watch the show to find out what happens!

If you’re interested in gaming and want to find another Chinese series on this topic, have a look at our review of Go Go Squid!

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Love O2O – Main Characters

There are quite a lot of characters in Love O2O and as a lot of them have a second gaming name, things can get a little confusing!

Hopefully, our breakdown of the main characters will make things a little clearer.

Two Main Protagonists

Bei Weiwei (贝微微 bèi wéiwéi) – the main protagonist of Love O2O. She is a second year computer science student.

She is known as the “belle” of the Computer Science Department, placing second in an online campus beauty competition which someone anonymously entered her into.

She plays the online role-playing game A Chinese Ghost Story where she goes by the name Luwei Weiwei (芦苇微微 lúwěi wéiwéi).

She is the only female in the top 10 PK ranking of the game.

Bei Weiwei is played by Zheng Shuang (郑爽 zhèng shuǎng) a Chinese actresss who rose to fame through her role on the show Meteor Shower.

(Not to be confused with Meteor Garden, although the two are related.)

She is the youngest actress to be nominated for Best Actress at the China TV Golden Eagle Awards.

Xiao Nai (肖奈 xiào nài) – the main male protagonist of Love O2O.

He is a fourth-year computer science student.

He is the CEO of Zhi Yi technology company, Weiwei is a an appreciative fan of his computer work. He is one of the most popular guys on campus, being great academically and in sport.

He is the top player in A Chinese Ghost Story and goes by the name Yixiao Naihe (一笑奈何 yīxiào nàihé).

Weiwei’s skills in the game impress him when he catches a glimpse of her playing at an internet cafe.

Xiao Nai is played by Yang Yang (杨洋 yáng yáng) a Chinese actor who made his debut in the TV drama The Dream of Red Mansions.

Fun fact in In January 2016, Yang became the first artist to be featured on the China Post postage stamp.

Other Characters

Zhao Erxi (赵二喜 zhào èrxǐ) – Weiwei’s best friend and dorm mate. She is also a computer science student, though admits she is nowhere near as talented as Weiwei.

She plays A Chinese Ghost Story under the name Huantian Xidi (欢天喜地 huāntiānxǐdì).

Zhao Erxi is played by Mao Xiaotong (毛晓彤 máo xiǎotóng), a Chinese actress who is well known for her supporting role in Empresses in the Palace.

Cao Guang 曹光 cáo guāng – a second year foreign studies student. He plays A Chinese Ghost Story under the name Wei Guang 微光 wéi guāng. He mistakenly befriends Zhao Erxi in the game thinking she is Weiwei.

Meng Yiran (孟逸然 mèng yìrán) – She is the “belle” of campus, placing first in the online campus beauty competition that Weiwei came second in. She has a crush on Xiao Nai.

Zhen Shaoxiang (甄少祥 zhēn shǎoxiáng) – Weiwei’s in game ex-husband who callously dumps her at the beginning of the series. His in game name is Zhenshui Wuxiang (真水无香 zhēnshuǐ wúxiāng). In real life he is Yiran’s older cousin and the heir of Zhen Yi technology.

Xiao Ling (晓玲 xiǎo líng) – Another one of Weiwei’s dorm mates, because of her wealthy background she is often refeered to as “Little Rich Woman” (小富婆 xiǎo fùpó).

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Love O2O – Vocab in the Show

Gaming Vocab

• Play 新倩女幽魂 xīn qiànnǚ yōuhún – A Chinese Ghost Story the name of the online role-playing game in the show. (It’s actually a real life game)
• Play 装备 zhuāngbèi – Equipment
• Play 法术 fǎshù – Magic
• Play 对决 duìjué – Duel
• Play 怪 guài – Monster (refers to a “boss” in the game)
• Play 榜主 bǎng zhǔ – Leader

• 侠侣 xiá lǚ – Term used to describe an in game spouse
• 结成侠侣 jié chéng xiá lǚ – Form an in game marriage
• 侠侣宴会 xiá lǚ yànhuì – In game wedding banquet
• 承让 chéng ràng – Good game (often said to your opponent after winning the match/game)

• Play 人妖 rényāo – Shemale, describes a guy who is pretending to be a girl in an online game
• Play 不知道和你玩游戏的是人还是狗 – bù zhīdào hé nǐ wán yóuxì de shì rén háishì gǒu – Literally “You don’t know if the person you are playing online with is a person or a dog”, it means the person on the other side of the screen could be anyone.

Technology Vocab

• Play 电路 diànlù – Fuse
• Play 烧毁 shāohuǐ – Burned out
• Play 下线 xià xiàn – Go offline
• Play 软件 ruǎnjiàn – Software
• Play 内存条 nèicún tiáo – RAM
• Play 盗号 dàohào – Hacked
• Play 修 xiū – Fix
• Play 主板 zhǔbǎn – Motherboard
• Play 电容零件 diànróng língjiàn – Capacitor parts

Other

• Play 计算机系 jìsuànjī xì – Computer science department
• Play 专业 zhuānyè – Specific field of study
• Play 校花 xiàohuā – Campus beauty
• Play 花评选 huā píngxuǎn – Campus beauty vote
• Play 敌意 díyì – Hostile
• Play 平胸 píngxiōng – Flat chested
• Play 网吧 wǎngbā – Internet cafe

• Play 游戏设计师 yóuxì shèjì shī – Game designer
• Play 删 shān – Delete
• Play 八卦 bāguà – Gossip
• Play 彩头 cǎitóu – Good luck in business, competitions etc.
• Play 说曹操曹操到 shuō cáocāo cáocāo dào – Literally “speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives”, Chinese version of “speak of the devil”

If you want to learn more gaming and technology vocab, have a look at the film Us and Them.

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Love O2O – Why it’s Great for Chinese Learners

As with any modern drama, the modern vocab, phrases and slang used in Love O2O make it a useful show to watch to pick up some common everyday language.

Shows or films like this are always an easy an enjoyable way to learn some vocabulary that you probably haven’t heard in the classroom.

As Love O2O deals with the topic of gaming and computers, it’s especially helpful for anyone who has an interest in games and learning some gaming vocabulary. After all playing video games in Chinese is a really fun and easy way to practice!

This show is also perfect for anyone looking for a modern Chinese drama who is also a fan of Chinese fantasy shows because the gameplay scenes are set in a Chinese fantasy martial arts world.

Have you seen this drama? Are you planning to? Let us know in the comments 👇

Love O2O – Where to Watch

Love O2O is available to watch on Netflix and also on the Chinese streaming site Youku.

There are 30 episodes in total, each one about 45 minutes long, so there is plenty of Chinese learning material for you to enjoy!

Anyone familiar with our blogs will know that having the series available on Netflix is a huge plus because you can use the amazing Language Learning with Netflix tool.

If you don’t feel like you can commit to a full series, then there is also the option to watch a film version of Love O2O which is also available on Netflix.

Any big fans of Chinese dramas out there, be sure to check out our list of the best Chinese dramas to learn Chinese.

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Love O2O – FAQ’s

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