MaoMi Chinese

#268 Why Did a “Terrible Film” Become So Popular? 为什么人们看《牛来》？

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0100

Today's Episode:

A film that everyone says is terrible, so why are more and more people paying to watch it? Recently, a Chinese animated film called Niulai suddenly became a hot topic online, partly because so many people thought it was a “terrible film”. Some people went to the cinema just to see how bad it really was, while others felt that there simply weren’t many good films to watch. So why did Niulai become so popular? In this episode, we take a closer look at the film and the strange story behind its sudden popularity.

Membership Preview:

What does “牛” really mean? Why can you say someone is 很牛, talk about 牛脾气 or 牛市, and even say 吹牛? In this MaoMi Chinese+ episode, we explore the many different meanings and expressions connected to this simple character. You may already know “牛” means “cow”, but you might be surprised by how many other ways Chinese speakers use it. A simple character, but lots to discover!

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MaoMi Chinese

#268 Why Did a “Terrible Film” Become So Popular? 为什么人们看《牛来》？

#267 “Pin” the Chinese Way to Save Money 拼多多

#266 China’s New Maths Stars 中国的数学新星

#265 Would You Date an AI Robot? 你想和AI机器人谈恋爱吗？

#264 让人又爱又恨的中国足球 The Chinese Football Team: Loved and Hated

#263 The Goose Leg Auntie Scandal 鹅腿阿姨

#262 China's Electric Car Boom 中国电车

#261 中国和毒品 Drugs in China

#260 特朗普在中国的“认真模式” Trump’s “Serious Mode” in China

#259 Will Our Digital Clone Replace Us? 数字人会取代我们吗?

#258 Work Buddies in China 上班搭子

#257 ‘Sudden Death’ of a Chinese Celebrity 张雪峰猝死

#256 One Drop of Blood Solves a Case? The Story of Henry Lee 华人神探李昌钰

#255 An Annual TV Show that Exposes Bad Products 315晚会

#254 All-Women Repair Team全女维修工

#253 The Hidden Workers of the City 我在北京送快递

#252 Uncle Hanzi 汉字叔叔

#251 Kung Fu Robots on Spring Festival Gala 中国春晚的机器人

#250 Year of the Horse… or Year of Malfoy?马年和马尔福

#249 All In, Then All Out上头和下头

#248 When a Story Doesn’t End 章莹颖案

#247 Love You, My Old self. See You Tomorrow.” 爱你老己，明天见

#246 Chinese Government Started to Manage People’s Weight? 中国开始管理人们体重了？

#245 The Fastest Nurse in China and Debate about her最快护士和她的争议

#244 Why New Year Resolution fail 新年计划总失败?

#243 Walking the Line on Chinese Social Media擦边

#242 Why Chinese old people love tour group? 为什么大爷大妈喜欢旅游团？

#241 The Rise of Eating Alone in China 一人食

#240 The Chinese Dubbing of Zootopia 2 Caused Debate 中文配音引争议

#239 A Brit in China’s Kitchen 做中国菜的英国人

#238 Why Are Blind Boxes So Popular in China? 为什么盲盒这么受欢迎？

#237 Leftovers for 120 Cats 剩菜养活120只流浪猫

#236 Why Everyone in China Knows this Tibetan man? 藏族男孩丁真

#235 Where Do Chinese People Like to Immigrate To?中国人移民喜欢去哪儿？

#234 Burning Corn: Creativity or Waste? 玉米燃料是浪费吗？

#233 The First Full 24 Hours in a Hotel in China 24小时退房酒店

#232 China Golden Week Tent Trend 黄金周睡帐篷

#231 From Chicken Cutlets to Fame 鸡排哥的故事

#230 Young People in China Becoming Rat? 老鼠人

#229 XiBei Restaurant and the Pre-Made Food Debate 西贝餐厅和预制菜

#228 The Registrar Who Stopped Divorces 最美红娘？

#227 Dogs Eating Better Than Humans? 宠物吃得比人好

#226 The War on Second-hand Smoke二手烟的战争

#225 The Secret World of Extra Classes in China 补课的秘密

#224 Stop the Comparison Game 和自己比

#223 Chinese start tipping? 中国开始给小费了？

#222 The Bubble Tea Assassin 奶茶刺客

#221 Tasty Words: Chinese Food Metaphors 用食物说话

#220 Keyboard Warriors键盘侠

#219 News Review: Nanjing’s Fake Lady Crime 南京红先生

#218 Networking 建立人脉

#217 Pearl’s Chinese Story 赛珍珠和中国

#216 Work like Cows and Horses 像牛马一样工作

#215 The Monster Behind a Billion-Dollar Toy Labubu的故事

#214 Are you a ‘slow-burn person’? 你是慢热的人吗？

#213 Kindergarten Survival Skills in China 中国幼儿园的生存训练

#212 Fast Food, Tough Job 外卖骑手的生活

#211 The Many Meanings of 点 in Chinese 说说“点”

#210 Wild Louie 六一“野”了

#209 The Happiest Supermarket in China 中国最幸福的超市

#208 ‘Dad Flavour’ VS ‘Mum Flavour’ 爹味和妈味

#207 Why Do Chinese People Ask Personal Questions? 为什么中国人喜欢问隐私？

#206 The Chinese Government Wants People to Lose Weight 政府喊你减肥

#205 Second-Hand Lifestyle 二手生活

#204 Surviving an Earthquake: 劫后余生

#203 打卡拍照 “Checking In” and Taking Photos

#202 Floating in the City 那些漂在大城市的年轻人

#201 From a Security Guard to a Lawyer 从保安到律师

#200 The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side 国外的月亮比较圆

#199 Why Do Chinese People Cover Their Belly Button While Sleeping? 睡觉盖肚脐

#198 From Doctor To 10-Billion-Box-Office-Film Director 哪吒导演的故事

#197 Nezha: The Film Earned 7.5 Billion Box Office 哪吒电影

#196 AI DeepSeek AI改变生活Untitled Episode

#195 Gift-Giving Taboos 送礼的禁忌

#194 TikTok Refugees and RedNote TikTok难民和小红书

#193 Yong Chinese Punk Health 中国年轻人的朋克养生

#192 Talking About Healthy Habits in Chinese 健康生活

#191 Regrets and Growth from 2024 遗憾和成长

#190 The Mysterious Corpse Herders 赶尸人

#155 Social butterfly? Social ‘terrorist’!　社交恐怖份子