In China, the horse face emoji is popular during the Year of the Horse. However, it is not always positive. When someone says 'I'm stepping on horse face emoji,' they are expressing anger. They use the horse emoji as a substitutesubstitute/ˈsʌbstɪtjuːt/L2替代品，代替物something that is used instead of another thing for a bad word. Also, the horse face can replace other words that sound like 'ma' in Chinese, such as 'mother' or 'mosaic.'
This phoneticphonetic/fəˈnɛtɪk/L2语音的，与发音有关的relating to the sounds of speech use of emojis comes from pinyin input. When users type a word, related emojis appear because of similar sounds. For example, typing 'yao wanle' (it's doomed) also shows a pill emoji. The pill emoji now means 'impending doom' in online slangslang/slæŋ/L2俚语，非正式用语informal words or phrases used by a particular group of people. In addition, platforms block certain words. Users replace 'Taobao' with a peach emoji because 'peach' sounds like 'Tao.' This practice is common on social media. This use is part of the 'abstract' subculture, which uses puns and inside jokes. However, older users often do not understand these meanings.
As a result, emojis in China have become a language within a language. They are linked by sound, not by meaning. Young people use them for jokes or to avoid censorshipcensorship/ˈsɛnsərʃɪp/L2审查制度，检查the practice of blocking or removing certain words or information. But older generations may miss the hidden meanings. Therefore, emojis are not universaluniversal/ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːrsəl/L2普遍的，全世界的existing everywhere or understood by everyone; they are culturally specific. For example, the horse face emoji means different things to different people. As a result, communication between generations becomes harder.
