5 years ago, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder (depression), anxiety, and adult ADHD. It’s been difficult for me to talk openly about my own mental health. I grew up with the belief that admitting to anxiety/depression was a weakness - the result of lack of discipline + an inability to “吃苦” (literally, ‘eat bitterness’).
It’s not that I didn’t believe mental illness existed…
I originally started drafting this comic as a “Vocabulary Review” for the educational graphic novel I’m working on for Panda. While it still functions as a vocab review (this one covers the characters 字，你，好，妈，爸，and 爱), it’s so much more:
Growing up, I never heard my parents say “I love you” (我爱你). This bothered me. It seemed my friends’ parents said it to them all the time. As the years pass, however, I’ve begun to see the many, *many* ways my parents have shown their love. Their love is quiet. Unspoken. Expressed through countless acts of service — big and small.
字(Zì) character
你(nǐ) you
好(hǎo) good
妈(媽)(mā) mother
爸(bà) father
爱(愛)(ài) love
妈妈好(媽媽好)(māmā hǎo) Hi mom
爸爸好(bàba hǎo) Hi dad
好妈妈(好媽媽)(hǎo māmā) Good mother
好爸爸(hǎo bàba) Good father
你妈妈爸爸爱你!(nǐ māmā bàba ài nǐ!) Your mom and dad love you!
1️⃣ Greetings using “好”
STRUCTURE:
n./pn./pron + 好
EXAMPLES:
妈妈好! = Hi Mom!
Cindy好! = Hi Cindy!
你好! = Hi you! (Also known as “hello”)
———————————————
2️⃣ Expressing love “A爱B”
STRUCTURE:
S + 爱 + O
EXAMPLES:
我爱你 = I love you
你爱我 = you love me
🎵We’re a happy familyyyyy🎵… anyone? Sing along? Ahem. Moving on…
———————————————
3️⃣ Possession (Infomal)*
works only with relationships
STRUCTURE:
Pronoun + noun(belonging to subject)
EXAMPLE:
你妈妈 = your mama (yo’mama)
你爸爸 = your papa
我妈妈爸爸 = my mom and dad
*the character “的” is used to formally express possession. We’ve covered this in a previous comic!
Last week, one of Panda’s fans suggested that I make these comics into a Zine! I wasn’t sure what a Zine was. So I googled it. 4 hours later… I was following this tutorial on how to hand-fold my very own 8 page Zine.
Behold, the results:
