Glossary · 术语表

Terms of the story pipeline

Definitions, with English bridges, of the Chinese web-fiction and short-drama craft terms that ZenStory AI tools implement as concrete pipeline steps.

扫榜 chart scanning (bestseller-board scanning)

扫榜 (sǎo bǎng, 'sweeping the charts') is the first step in the commercial web-fiction method: read the live bestseller and recommendation boards of the major platforms and look for what repeats across many books — genre, protagonist type, opening angle — rather than what any single top-ranked title does.

拆文 deconstruction (reverse-outlining a hit into reusable modules)

拆文 (chāi wén, 'taking a text apart') is reverse-engineering a successful novel into reusable parts: outline rhythm, plot modules, emotional beats, character functions, style notes.

去AI味 de-AI editing / de-slop (removing the fingerprints of machine prose)

去AI味 (qù AI wèi, 'removing the AI flavour') is the editing pass that strips the recognisable fingerprints of model-written Chinese prose.

漫剧 motion comic / animated drama (as distinct from live-action short drama)

漫剧 (màn jù) is a short serialised drama produced as animated or comic-style imagery rather than live action — the AI-generated form that now sits beside 短剧 (live-action micro-drama) on Chinese platforms.

黄金三章 the golden three chapters (the make-or-break opening)

黄金三章 ('golden three chapters') is the web-fiction convention that a serial is won or lost in its first three chapters, because platform recommendation and reader retention are decided there.

爽点 payoff beat (a moment of emotional satisfaction)

爽点 (shuǎng diǎn) is a payoff beat: a moment engineered to convert a negative emotion the reader has been carrying into a positive one.