You're Bad

Da Bing (Yan Bing)Apr 2025

2.4

Word count: 162K words
Chapters: 15

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Summary

If you're different from everyone else,

then be different.

If you're different from the world,

then be different.

You Bad — a 2018 work by Da Bing, author of million-copy bestsellers.

Born from his 2013 book They Are the Happiest, it has been reworked and expanded into a complete edition with nothing left out.

To give it a true rebirth, Da Bing rewrote and restored large portions of the text.

He restored the original structure and scope of the writing, the original paragraphing, punctuation, and chapter layout, his original intent, meaning, sincerity, and heart, and the long passages cut from the first draft.

Most importantly, he finally recovered and restored the name it was always meant to have — You Bad.

Through fieldwork, in the present progressive tense, and in a colloquial voice, Da Bing tells of those precious family members who share no blood but are family all the same — the “bad” ones:

Xinxin, a girl bad in the most utterly adorable way; YOYO and Yueyue, bad in the most utterly warm way; Lu Ping, bad in the most utterly odd way; Little Nanjing, bad in the most utterly persistent way; Baima Yangzong, bad in the most utterly dashing way; Chengzi, bad in the most utterly good way; Wang Bo and Tiancai, bad in the most utterly devoted way; the girl without a phone, bad in the most utterly heartrending way...

Some of these little rascals and their ongoing stories have taken on new dimensions and new developments over more than five years, nearly two thousand days, upgraded from version 1.0 to 2.0.

Editor's review

Born from Da Bing's 2013 book They Are the Happiest, You Are Bad is the product of extensive rewriting and restoration: the text's original structure, scope, and chapter layout have been reinstated, and the book has been returned to its original title. Written in the manner of fieldwork and in the present tense, it tells of a group of "bad" ordinary people who are like family without being related by blood: Xinxin, YOYO, Yueyue, Luping, Little Nanjing, Baima Yangzong, Chengzi, Wang Bo and Tiancai, the girl who doesn't use a mobile phone, and others. Their "badness" is by turns cute, warm, eccentric, stubborn, dashing, deeply affectionate, and heartbreaking, and in the nearly two thousand days since, some of their stories have progressed from version 1.0 to 2.0. The book's value lies not in legend but in its colloquial, plainspoken narration, which preserves the lives of ordinary people as they are happening and shows readers that "being different from everyone else" can be a way of living at ease with oneself. It suits reading a few pieces at a time on the commute, before bed, or on low-spirited nights, with no need for continuity: you read other people's stories and see reflected the bit of stubbornness in yourself that refuses to be disciplined.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like Da Bing's work and want to see the rewritten, restored versions of his early stories
Essay readers who prefer colloquial, fieldwork-style portraits of people
Young people confused about self-identity who want to find stories like their own
People who like short stories and reading in fragments of spare time

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer rigorous literary study and emphasize fictional technique and structural experimentation
Readers put off by colloquial narration and a "jianghu" flavor of expression
Readers expecting systematic social analysis or in-depth fieldwork reports

Reading tips

You don't have to read straight through; start with the piece about the person who interests you most.
When you reach a character, notice the small differences between versions and what the rewriting is doing.
Keep a pen handy and jot down in the margin the lines or choices that move you.
When you've finished, tell a friend one of the stories to test whether it really left something behind.

版权信息
一百年前的爱情
我的小姑娘
不用手机的女孩
伴我行天涯
送你一颗糖
谢谢你
梦游人
某个普通人的选择
南京女人
越狱者
小自洽
茶者前传
一生何求
小坏蛋

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and They Are the Happiest?

You Are Bad grew out of the 2013 book They Are the Happiest; it is the complete version, reworked with added material. The author extensively rewrote and restored the whole book, reinstating the original text structure, scope, paragraphing, punctuation, and chapter layout, restoring long passages cut from the first draft, and bringing back the original title, You Are Bad.

Are the stories of the people in the book real?

According to the source material, the author records these unrelated "family members" through fieldwork and describes them in the present tense, writing about their lives as they are happening. Some of the people and stories have developed over more than five years, nearly two thousand days, progressing from version 1.0 to 2.0.

Can I read this directly if I haven't read They Are the Happiest?

Yes. This is the complete, rewritten and restored version and can be read on its own. If you have read the old edition, you can compare the changes in scope, chapter layout, and the characters' later developments, and get the extra pleasure of an "upgraded edition."

Is it better to read in one sitting or slowly?

The book consists of multiple people's stories, and the colloquial narration moves briskly, so it works both for sustained reading and for reading piece by piece in spare moments on the commute or before bed. It's best not to insist on order; picking people by interest makes it easier to catch the flavor.

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About the author

Da Bing (Yan Bing) Author · Chinese · 1980

Da Bing, whose real name is Yan Bing, was born on October 23, 1980, in Laiyang, Shandong. He graduated from Shandong University of Arts and is a Chinese writer, folk singer, oil painter, and former host on Shandong TV. He published "They Are the Happiest" in 2013 and later released the "Little Blue Book" series, including "Be Good, Pat Pat Head," "Amitabha Mmm Da," "Okay, Fine," "I Don't," and "Take Care." Seven of his works are included in the library, among them "Child," "You're Bad," "Ah 2.0," and several boxed sets. His writing consists mainly of essays and short stories drawn from travel experiences and the lives of ordinary people, with a plain, sincere style and a folk-song-like lyrical quality. His works are often classified as social fiction and prose miscellany, and have attracted readers for their closeness to daily life and readability. He has repeatedly appeared on Chinese writers' rankings and received an annual bestselling author award, giving him some influence in popular literary reading.