作　者：肖珺 常乐
关键词：缘；中国互联网史；网络交友；数字化亲密关系；隐喻
摘　要：

中国互联网始终浸润着中国传统文化底蕴。“缘”作为中华优秀传统文化的标识性概念，深刻影响着中国人的情感观念与交往行为，在中国网络交友26 年的历史中栖息、转化与发展。依据钱钟书之“隐喻有两柄而复具多边”的本土理论工具，可以说中国网络交友中“缘”呈现三阶段的隐喻流变：用户主动“搜索有缘人”的可寻可控式缘分（1998-2010年）、个性化推荐“匹配意中人”的分配式缘分（2011-2017 年）、“从相亲角到迪士尼”的游戏化消费式缘分（2018-2024 年）。数字媒介生态中的“缘”从传统意义上由宿命决定的人际关系，转向复合式数字化亲密关系，形成媒介变迁、隐喻内涵与情感态度三维交织的意义生成机制。随着“数字中国”建设的持续推进，“缘”文化观念具备了全球对话的可能性，成为兼容确定性与不确定性的意义容器。“缘”蕴含的兼容性与调适性，或可应对关系流动性带来的情感焦虑，成为人类抵御数字化孤独的积极力量。

 

 

 

Metaphorical Transformations of the Cultural Concept of Yuan

In the History of Chinese Online Dating

Xiao Jun, Chang Le（Wuhan University）

Abstract The history of the Chinese internet is deeply intertwined with traditional Chinese culture and its unique characteristics. As an iconic concept in Chinese cultural heritage, Yuan ( 缘，fateful encounter or serendipity) finds its habitat, transformation, and evolution throughout the 26-year history of online dating in China, exerting a profound impact on people's emotional perceptions and social interactions. Drawing on Qian Zhongshu's theory that "a metaphor possesses two handles and multiple sides", it can be argued that the concept of yuan in the history of Chinese online dating has undergone three stages of metaphorical evolution: controllable and searchable yuan (1998-2010) characterized by users actively "searching for soul mates", algorithmically allocated yuan (2011-2017) characterized by personalized recommendations for "the right one" via algorithms, and gamified and consumerist yuan (2018-2024), a playful, consumption-driven approach to yuan with the scenario shift "from blind date corners in parks to Disneyland". These developments mark a transformation from traditionally fate-determined relationships to complex, digitally mediated intimacies in the digital media ecology, which has fostered a tripartite meaning-generation mechanism interweaving media evolution, metaphorical connotations, and affective attitudes. As the construction of a digital China advances, the concept of yuan holds potential for global dialogue; its inclusivity and adaptability may offer solutions to anxieties arising from fluid relationships, serving as a positive force against digital loneliness for mankind.

Key words  yuan(缘); Chinese internet history; online dating; digital intimacy; metaphor

 

■    作者简介 肖 珺，武汉大学媒体发展研究中心研究员，武汉大学新闻与传播学院教授，湖北 武汉 430072；常 乐，武汉大学新闻与传播学院博士研究生。

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