Homophonic puns in Mandarin Chinese
Encyclopedia
Mandarin Chinese, like many Sinitic varieties
, has a significant number of homophonous syllables and words due to its limited phonetic inventory. All languages have homophones, but in Chinese they are especially abundant. The Cihai (辭海 "sea of words") dictionary lists 149 characters representing the syllable "yì". Many Chinese take great delight in using the large amount of homophone
s in the language to form puns
, and they have become an important component of Chinese culture. In Chinese, homophones are used for a variety of purposes from rhetoric and poetry to advertisement and humor and are also common in Chinese loans of foreign product names and branding
more generally.
This article is intended to present a list of common or representative homophonic puns in Mandarin Chinese, though many of the examples given are often homophones in other varieties as well. Asterisks before the entry denote near homophones.
, known in China as Spring Festival, has an abundance of unique traditions associated with it. Some of these traditions are more widespread than others. Among the many New Year's customs are a few whose meaning is derived from puns of Mandarin words.
have frequently employed puns as a means of avoiding criticizing the government too directly.
Following the Cultural Revolution
, the Communist Party of China
vigorously promoted the slogan "向前看" ("xiàng qián kàn") meaning "Look forward to the future". The slogan was an oft-repeated encouragement which emphasized working toward a common destiny and discouraged deep analysis of past policies. Today it is common to hear "xiàng qián kàn", but it is often accompanied by a gesture of thumb and fore-fingers rubbing together to indicate that the speaker is talking about money. The new phrase, "向钱看" is pronounced exactly the same, but its meaning, "look for the money," contrasts sharply with the old slogan. The popularity of this pun is explained as a result of the dramatic move towards capitalism that took place in China following the Reform and opening up.
Project 571
(五七一工程; Wǔqīyī gōngchéng), the numeric codename for an alleged plot by supporters of Lin Biao
to attempt a coup d'etat
and overthrow Mao Zedong
in 1971, was named by Lin Biao's son Lin Liguo
as a play on its near-homonym of "armed uprising" (武装起义).
Sinitic languages
The Sinitic languages, often called the Chinese languages or the Chinese language, are a language family frequently postulated as one of two primary branches of Sino-Tibetan...
, has a significant number of homophonous syllables and words due to its limited phonetic inventory. All languages have homophones, but in Chinese they are especially abundant. The Cihai (辭海 "sea of words") dictionary lists 149 characters representing the syllable "yì". Many Chinese take great delight in using the large amount of homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
s in the language to form puns
Puns
Puns may refer to:*Partido de Unión Nacional Saharaui, the Sahrawi political party* Pun, figure of speech* Phoenicians...
, and they have become an important component of Chinese culture. In Chinese, homophones are used for a variety of purposes from rhetoric and poetry to advertisement and humor and are also common in Chinese loans of foreign product names and branding
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
more generally.
This article is intended to present a list of common or representative homophonic puns in Mandarin Chinese, though many of the examples given are often homophones in other varieties as well. Asterisks before the entry denote near homophones.
Terms in Chinese
There is no common Chinese word for 'pun' in the oral language, although the phrase 一語雙關 yī yǔ shuāng guān may sometimes be used. 雙關語 shuāngguānyǔ has the same meaning as a pun but has a more formal or literary register, such as 'double-entendre' in English. It typically refers to the creation of puns in literature. Homophonic puns in particular are called 音義雙關 yīn yì shuāng guān or more simply 諧音 xiéyīn 'homophones' while homophonic characters are called 同音字 tóngyīnzì.Spring Festival traditions
Chinese New YearChinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
, known in China as Spring Festival, has an abundance of unique traditions associated with it. Some of these traditions are more widespread than others. Among the many New Year's customs are a few whose meaning is derived from puns of Mandarin words.
- Nián nián yǒu yú - 年年有余 "There will be an abundance every year" homophonous with 年年有鱼 "There will be fish every year." As a result, fish are eaten and used as common decorations during Chinese New YearChinese New YearChinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
. - Nián gāo - 年糕 "niangao" and 年高 from 年年高升 nián nián gāoshēng or "raised higher each year," leading to the belief that those who eat niangao should have greater prosperity with each coming year.
- Fú dào le - 福到了 "fortune has arrived" and 福倒了 "fortune is upside down", the latter simply referring to the ubiquitous character 福Fu characterMounted Fú Characters are a widespread Chinese tradition associated with Chinese New Year that can be seen on the entrances of many Chinese homes worldwide. The characters are generally printed on a square piece of paper or stitched in fabric, and are posted upside-down on the front door of a home...
, which when displayed upside down denotes one's good fortune has arrived. It is common practice to hang the character upside-down on doors during the Spring festival - *Shengcai - Traditionally the first meal of the New Year is vegetarian with a variety ingredients. The meal is served with lettuce (生菜, shēngcài) because the word is near homophonous to "生財" (shēng cái), "to make money". Lettuce shows up in other New Years customs as well. In the traditional New Year's Day lion dance lettuce and red envelopes of cash are offered to the lion.
- *T-n-yuan - At times of reunion, such as Spring Festival, it is customary to eat sweet round dumplings called tangyuan (汤圆). The tangyuan are traditionally eaten during Lantern FestivalLantern FestivalThe Lantern Festival ; is a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the Chinese calendar, the last day...
, which is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration. The roundness of the tangyuan and the bowls they are eaten out of emphasize unity in addition to the similarity of their name with the Mandarin word for reunion, "团圆" (tuányuán). - *Fa caiFat choyFat choy , also known as faat choy, fa cai, black moss, hair moss or hair weed is a terrestrial cyanobacterium that is used as a vegetable in Chinese cuisine. When dried, the product has the appearance of black hair...
(发菜), a thin black hair-like algae, is a feature of Spring Festival cuisine because its name is a near-homophone of "发财" (fā cái), meaning "prosperity."
Literature
- Hongloumeng – Similar to Dickens or Dostoevsky, Cao XueqinCao XueqinCao Xueqin was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature...
chose many of the names of his characters in Hongloumeng to be homophones with other words which hint at their qualities. For example, the name of the main family, "賈" (Jiă) puns with "假" meaning "fake" or "false" while the name of the other main family in the story, "甄" (Zhēn) puns with "眞" meaning "real" or "true". - Hóng Qiū (紅秋) – In this Sichuan operaSichuan operaSichuanese opera is a type of Chinese opera originating in China's Sichuan province around 1700. Today's Sichuan opera is a relatively recent synthesis of 5 historic melodic styles...
, a sternsman on the boat asks a nun her name, who defiantly responds that her name is 陳 chén which is a homophone with 沉 or 'to sink' which is the last word one wants to hear on a boat. - Máo Dùn – Noted 20th-century author Shen Yanbing is better known by his pseudonym Mao Dun (茅盾), a homophone for "contradiction" (矛盾). The pun is said to be a statement of his disillusionment with the ruling KuomintangKuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
party following the Shanghai massacre of 1927Shanghai massacre of 1927The April 12 Incident of 1927 refers to the violent suppression of Chinese Communist Party organizations in Shanghai by the military forces of Chiang Kai-shek and conservative factions in the Kuomintang...
. - Fǎng Zĭjiǔ Huà – Yun ShoupingYun ShoupingYun Shouping , also known as Nantian , was a major artist of the early Chinese Qing dynasty. He was regarded as one of the "Six Masters" of the Qing period, together with the Four Wangs and Wú Lì.-Biography:...
, a famous artist of the early Qing dynastyQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, is best known today for his paintings of flowers, but he was also a prolific poet. One of his poems, "仿子久畫" ("After the artistic style of Zijiu"), was an ode to a previous master of traditional Chinese landscape painting, Huang GongwangHuang GongwangHuáng Gōngwàng was a painter born during the late Song Dynasty in Changshu, Jiangsu. He is the oldest of the "four great masters of the Yuan." After serving as an official he acted as a Taoist priest. He spent his last years in the Fu-ch'un mountains near Hangzhou devoting himself to Taoism. It...
who was also known by his style name "Zijiu" (子久). The poem has several intentional puns. The poem and alternate readings are included below:
| Original | English translation | Alternate interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| pre style="border:none;font:inherit"> 古人有子久 今人無子久 子久不在茲 誰能和子久 此不作子久 而甚似子久 |
pre style="border:none;font:inherit"> Long were you with the ancients; Our contemporaries have long missed you. Long have you not been here; But who can be said to have known you for a long time? This one cannot act like you for long, And yet he has long much resembled you |
pre style="border:none;font:inherit"> The ancients had Zijiu; Our contemporaries have no Zijiu. Zijiu is not here; Who can know Zijiu? This one cannot be Zijiu, But he strongly resembles Zijiu. |
Circumventing internet censorship
Homophonic puns are often used to get around various forms of censorship on the internet.- *Hexie - 河蟹 hé xiè "river crab" for 和谐 héxié for "harmony referring to the official policy of a "harmonious society"
- Dàibiǎo - 戴表 "watch" (n.) for 代表 "represent" referring to the "Three RepresentsThree RepresentsThe Three Represents is a socio-political ideology credited to General Secretary Jiang Zemin which became a guiding ideology of the Communist Party of China at its Sixteenth Party Congress in 2002....
" - *Cao ni ma - 草泥馬 cǎonímǎ "a horse made from mud and grass" for 肏你媽 cào nǐ mā "fuck you(r mother)"
Text-messages and internet chat
Shortening words and phrases is a common and often necessary practice for internet chat and especially SMS text-messages in any language. Speakers of Mandarin Chinese have also developed conventional abbreviations for commonly used words. Some of these are based on homophony or near-homophony.- 88 looks very similar to 白白 "báibái" which is pronounced similarly to 拜拜 "bàibài" or the Chinese loan word for "bye-bye." This is reinforced by the similar pronunciation of the word for eight as "bā." It has therefore become a common way of saying "see you later" when leaving a conversation, similar to "ttyl" or "talk to you later" in English.
- 3Q (/sæn kʰju/) ) - The number 3 is pronounced as "sān" in Mandarin, so this combination sounds like "thank you" (/θæŋk.ju/) and is used as such. As a side note, many North Americans pronounce "thank" /θæŋk/ as /θeŋk/ and so the connection may seem less obvious to these speakers.
- 55555 - The number 5, "wŭ" in mandarin, makes this series evoke the sound of a person sobbing.
Joke Names
- Dù Zǐténg - the Chinese characters "杜子藤" form a very refined name that could belong to a poet, but it is homophonous with the word 肚子疼 which means "stomach ache."
- Jìyuàn - the names of technical schools which end in 技術學院 jìshù xuéyuàn are often shortened to 技院 'jìyuàn' which has the same pronunciation as 妓院 which means a brothel.
Advertisement
- Coca Cola - on the surface the Chinese word for Coca Cola 可口可乐 Kěkǒu Kělè appears to be a primarily phonetic translation of the company's name. However, the words 可口 kěkǒu and 可乐 kělè respectively mean "tasty" and "entertaining" (literally an adjective for something which makes one happy or amused).
Political criticism
Critics of government policy in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
have frequently employed puns as a means of avoiding criticizing the government too directly.
- Xiǎo Píngzi - Students participating in the pro-democracy movement in BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
's Tiananmen SquareTiananmen SquareTiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
in 1989 smashed little bottles as a means of protesting Deng XiaopingDeng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
's handling of the movement. Deng's given name, Xiaoping (小平) sounds a lot like little bottles (小瓶子, xiăo píngzi), which is a nickname that Deng had acquired for his ability to keep afloat amid wave after wave of attacks. - Liú & bō - Supporters of the jailed Chinese dissident Liu XiaoboLiu XiaoboLiu Xiaobo is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China...
often pun on his name using the phrase "随波逐劉" (suí bō zhú liú) instead of "随波逐流" meaning ”by the waves and with the flow" which by extension means to follow blindly. The usage of the phrase is turned around however. The character 流 liú or "flow" is a homophone with the surname Liu/劉 and the character 波 bō is how a friend would call someone named Xiaobo. So the phrase may also be interpreted as "Go with Xiaobo, follow Liu," such repetition being common in Chinese rhetoric, taking on the meaning of "follow Liu's example" or "be like Liu."
Gifts
In Chinese culture the giving of certain gifts are traditionally avoided because of unfortunate homophony or near homophony.- *Si - While it is common to give gifts in even number increments, giving four of something is associated with very bad fortune because in Mandarin the word four (四, sì) is pronounced similar to the word death (死, sĭ), see tetraphobiaTetraphobiaTetraphobia is an aversion to or fear of the number . It is a superstition most common in East Asian regions such as Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam....
. This taboo exists in Japanese and Korean as well, where the words are exact homophones shi in Japanese and sa in Korean. - Lí - Pears (梨, lí) are also uncommon gifts as they sound like separation (离, lí).
- Sòng zhōng - Giving a clock (送钟, sòng zhōng) is taboo, especially to the elderly as it is homophonous with attending another's funeral (送终, sòng zhōng).
Objects of good fortune
A symbolic language of prosperity and good fortune has evolved over the centuries from the similarity in pronunciation between some every day objects and common lucky words. Examples are especially common in the decorative arts.- *Ping'an - In some localities it is customary to always place a vase (瓶, píng) on a table (案，àn) when moving into a new home for good luck, because the combination sounds like "平安" (píng'ān) meaning peace and tranquility.
- *Kuaizi - A traditional wedding custom involves bride and groom exchanging chopsticks, because the word for chopsticks, "筷子" (kuàizi) puns with "快子" (kuàizǐ) which means to quickly have a son.
- Fú - Bats are a common motif in traditional Chinese paintingChinese paintingChinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. The earliest paintings were not representational but ornamental; they consisted of patterns or designs rather than pictures. Early pottery was painted with spirals, zigzags, dots, or animals...
, because the word for bat, "蝠" (fú) is homophonous with the word for good fortune, "福" (fú). - *Li, yú, and lián - A more complex example involves the common image of carp swimming through lotus flowers which conveys the wish for continuing profits. Carp (鲤, lĭ), fish (鱼, yú), and lotus (莲, lián) are near-homophonous with "profit" (利, lì), "surplus" (余, yú), and "successive" (连, lián) respectively.
- Sānyuán - In the eleventh century in the Northern Song DynastySong DynastyThe Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
men who scored first in all three levels of the civil service examinationImperial examinationThe Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
were distinguished with the title "Sanyuan" (三元) meaning simply "three firsts." Immediately following the appearance of this term in Chinese literature, the motif of the three gibbons pursuing egrets appears in Chinese painting. In Chinese the scene could be described as "三猿得鹭" (san yuan de lu) a pun on "三元得路" meaning "a triple-first gains one power." Soon, the gibbon became a more generalized symbol, praising those who participated in the civil service exam regardless of whether they achieved three firsts. Thus, the image expresses a wish that its recipient do well on his exams and become successful. Later a variation on the gibbons and egret motif appears through the substitution of deer for egrets. In mandarin the word "鹿" (lù), meaning deer, is homophonous with "鹭" (lù), meaning egret, and so the image achieves the same pun.
Other notable puns
The Chinese recorder and missionary journal for December 1882, claims that the residents of the western hills outside Beijing were not allowed to store ice at that time because of the similarity between the word for "ice" (冰,"bīng") and the word for "soldier" (兵, "bīng"). At this time the capital was under considerable threat of rebellions. The rule is presumably an attempt to avoid confusion between troops convening outside the city ahead of an invasion and the otherwise common practice of storing large quantities of ice for the preservation of meat and vegetables.Following the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
vigorously promoted the slogan "向前看" ("xiàng qián kàn") meaning "Look forward to the future". The slogan was an oft-repeated encouragement which emphasized working toward a common destiny and discouraged deep analysis of past policies. Today it is common to hear "xiàng qián kàn", but it is often accompanied by a gesture of thumb and fore-fingers rubbing together to indicate that the speaker is talking about money. The new phrase, "向钱看" is pronounced exactly the same, but its meaning, "look for the money," contrasts sharply with the old slogan. The popularity of this pun is explained as a result of the dramatic move towards capitalism that took place in China following the Reform and opening up.
Project 571
Project 571 Outline
Project 571 was the numeric codename given to an alleged plot or coup d'etat against Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1971 by the supporters of Lin Biao, then Vice-Chairman of the Communist Party of China. The operations were supposedly led by Lin's son, Lin Liguo, a high-ranking officer in the...
(五七一工程; Wǔqīyī gōngchéng), the numeric codename for an alleged plot by supporters of Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
to attempt a coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and overthrow Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
in 1971, was named by Lin Biao's son Lin Liguo
Lin Liguo
Lin Liguo was the son of the Chinese Communist military leader Lin Biao and the person in charge of Project 571 Outline, a plotted coup against Mao Zedong....
as a play on its near-homonym of "armed uprising" (武装起义).
See also
- Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone DenLion-Eating Poet in the Stone DenThe Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den is a famous example of constrained writing by Yuen Ren Chao which consists of 92 characters, all with the sound shi in different tones when read in Mandarin....
- Numbers in Chinese culture
- Mandarin Chinese profanity
- Faux pas derived from Chinese pronunciationFaux pas derived from Chinese pronunciationThe following faux pas are derived from homonyms in Mandarin and Cantonese. While originating in Greater China, they may also apply to Chinese-speaking people around the world.Certain customs regarding good and bad luck are important to many Chinese people...
- Standard Chinese phonology