Wordplay: homophone puns, lucky puns and internet coinages
谐音 puns behind New Year pictures, gift taboos, wedding customs, advertising and internet slang.
Part of the free C2 Chinese course (about HSK 6 and above). Examples are in Simplified characters, with pinyin only for some new or hard words; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Why Chinese puns so much
Mandarin has about 400 syllables (about 1,300 with tones) for thousands of characters, so many words sound alike. 谐音 (xiéyīn), punning on similar sounds, runs through customs, gifts, jokes and advertising.
Lucky puns
| Thing | Sounds like | Wish |
|---|---|---|
| 鱼 (yú) fish | 余 (yú) surplus | 年年有余: plenty every year |
| 福 upside down: 福倒了 | 福到了 | luck has arrived |
| 苹果 (píngguǒ) | 平 (píng), as in 平安 | safety: apples on Christmas Eve, 平安夜 |
| 蝠 (fú), bat | 福 (fú) | good fortune: bats on old furniture |
| 枣, 花生, 桂圆, 莲子 | 早, 生, 贵, 子 | 早生贵子: a son soon, at weddings |
- 年年有余。May you have plenty to spare every year.
- 春节的时候，很多人把福字倒着贴，意思是福到了。At Spring Festival many people hang 福 upside down: luck has arrived.
- 婚礼上常常放枣、花生、桂圆和莲子，意思是早生贵子。At weddings people put out jujubes, peanuts, longans and lotus seeds, meaning "may you soon have a child".
Unlucky puns: gift taboos
- 钟 (clock): 送钟 sounds like 送终, attending someone's death.
- 梨 (pear): 分梨 sounds like 分离, separation.
- 伞 (umbrella): sǎn sounds like 散, to break up.
- 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ): many buildings skip a 4th floor.
- 送礼物不要送钟，因为送钟听起来像送终。Don't give a clock as a gift: 送钟 sounds like attending a deathbed.
Advertising puns
Ads rewrite chengyu with one homophone: a mosquito coil might advertise itself as 默默无蚊 ("silent, no mosquitoes"), punning on 默默无闻 (unknown, obscure). Teachers dislike these because children copy the wrong characters.
Internet coinages
Internet slang is full of sound-alikes and number puns. All of it is informal and changeable: some of these sound dated already.
| Coinage | Stands for | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 杯具 (bēijù, cups) | 悲剧 | tragedy, bad luck |
| 神马 (shénmǎ) | 什么 | what (神马都是浮云: it's all meaningless, around 2010) |
| 酱紫 (jiàngzǐ) | 这样子 | like this |
| 520 | 我爱你 | I love you |
| 88 | 拜拜 | bye-bye |
| 666 | 六 sounds like 溜 | slick, impressive |
- 这件事真是个杯具。This is a real tragedy. (internet slang)
- 五月二十日被很多年轻人当成表白的日子。Many young people treat May 20th as a day to declare their love.
Wordplay is a sign of fluency when you catch it, and a risk when you make it: a dated meme can sound more awkward than no meme.
Common mistakes
默默无蚊in a school essay → 默默无闻. The ad pun is only a joke on the real chengyu.- Giving a clock, a pear to share, or an umbrella as a present to someone who keeps the customs.
- Writing internet puns such as 杯具 in formal writing: they are slang.
- Taking 年年有鱼 on a New Year picture as a spelling error: the fish picture is the pun; the written wish is usually 年年有余.
Practice
- Why do people give apples on Christmas Eve (平安夜) in China?Options: 苹 sounds like 平, as in 平安. · Apples are red, a lucky colour. · 苹果 sounds like 发财.
Show the answer
苹 sounds like 平, as in 平安.
- Why is a clock a bad gift?Options: 送钟 sounds like 送终, attending a death. · Clocks are too expensive. · 钟 sounds like 中, meaning 'in the middle'.
Show the answer
送钟 sounds like 送终, attending a death.
- 年年有_____。
Show the answer
余
- Why is 福 often hung upside down at New Year?Options: 倒 (upside down) sounds like 到 (arrive): luck has arrived. · Upside-down characters keep thieves away. · It shows the house is full of guests.
Show the answer
倒 (upside down) sounds like 到 (arrive): luck has arrived.