Rosamund Pike may be best known around the world as the chilling Amy Dunne from Gone Girl, but in China, the actress has another rather unexpected claim to fame.
She is, apparently, the 'fart lady'.
The bizarre nickname stems from a 2021 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, when Pike demonstrated her Mandarin skills by reciting a Chinese saying taught to her by her sons. The proverb, which roughly translates as 'taking off your trousers to fart', describes doing something unnecessarily complicated.
Her Chinese Connection Runs Deeper Than a Viral Clip
Pike has said the clip went viral in China, giving the British actress an unlikely new connection with Chinese audiences.
these chinese videos are sending me lmfao she’s so random i love her sm pic.twitter.com/FaOdZWeFp3
— cg (@daydreamergrl) September 27, 2026
And it turns out Pike's relationship with China goes considerably deeper than one very memorable proverb. The actress has a Chinese name, 裴淳华, pronounced Péi Chúnhuá, which she adopted in 2015 rather than continuing to use a phonetic translation of her English name in Chinese media.
Pike has previously explained that she wanted a name with meaning rather than a straightforward transliteration, and she has embraced the name enough for it to become part of her public identity in China.
That connection also has a family story behind it. Pike's partner, Robie Uniacke, taught himself Mandarin, and their two sons grew up speaking the language. Their eldest son, Solo, even competed in the Chinese Bridge language competition in China, eventually winning the global championship in 2024.
Pike has spoken warmly about the family's fascination with Chinese culture, telling The Guardian in 2023 that she believed China had retained a distinctive culture while much of the rest of the world was becoming more homogeneous.
From Mandarin Lessons to '3 Body Problem'
She has also looked beyond simply learning the language. Pike became an executive producer on Netflix's 3 Body Problem, the English-language adaptation of Chinese author Liu Cixin's hugely successful science-fiction novel.
That makes her Mandarin-speaking 'fart lady' persona considerably less random than it first appears. Her connection with China has continued to attract attention from Chinese audiences and media.
During a 2026 appearance in Shanghai, the actress attracted renewed attention while appearing alongside British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at a cultural exchange event. Speaking to Chinese students, Pike discussed the meaning of her Chinese name and said she feels proud that Chinese people like it.
Even Pike has acknowledged how unusual her reputation has become. She has recalled people calling out 'Péi Chúnhuá' to her while she was walking around London. She knows to turn around because she recognises that the people calling her are Chinese.
Why Western Fans Are Only Just Discovering It
The phenomenon recently surprised Western internet users after a post on Reddit's r/Fauxmoi highlighted just how well known Pike is among Chinese audiences.
One commenter called the whole thing 'incredibly random', while another suggested her Graham Norton appearance helped propel the Mandarin proverb to viral status.
But the more you look into Pike's relationship with China, the less random it seems. For an actress whose career has taken her from James Bond's Die Another Day to Pride & Prejudice and Gone Girl, becoming known in another enormous market because of a Mandarin proverb about farting would be quite the plot twist.
Yet behind the joke is a genuine interest that has lasted for years. While Western audiences may still see Rosamund Pike and immediately think of Amy Dunne, Chinese fans have another name for her.
裴淳华. And, apparently, sometimes, the 'fart lady'.
