四是四，十是十
sì shì sì, shí shì shíㄙˋ ㄕˋ ㄙˋ ㄕˊ ㄕˋ ㄕˊ
four is four, ten is ten, literally “4 is 4, 10 is 10”
The canonical first twister: drills s vs sh on a line that only works if your tongue cooperates. Full: 四是四，十是十，十四是十四，四十是四十.
石狮寺前有四十四个石狮子 石獅寺前有四十四個石獅子
Shíshīsì qián yǒu sìshísì ge shí shīziㄕˊ ㄕ ㄙˋ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄙˋ ㄕˊ ㄙˋ ㄍㄜ˙ ㄕˊ ㄕ ㄗ˙
forty-four stone lions before Stone Lion Temple, literally “Stone Lion Temple has 44 stone lions”
s/sh vs si/shi maximal difficulty: the temple name is itself a trap.
施氏食狮史 施氏食獅史
Shī shì shí shī shǐㄕ ㄕˋ ㄕˊ ㄕ ㄕˇ
Shi's history of eating lions, literally “Shi clan eats lions history”
赵元任's famous one-syllable poem: written entirely in 'shi' to prove written Chinese survives when sound collapses. The ultimate homophone flex.
撕字纸 撕字紙
sī zìzhǐㄙ ㄗˋ ㄓˇ
tearing letter paper, literally “tear printed paper”
s/zh minimal pair: the sibilant friction trap.
双扇门 雙扇門
shuāng shàn ménㄕㄨㄤ ㄕㄢˋ ㄇㄣˊ
double doors, literally “double-leaf door”
sh/sh minimal repetition: the very doors that creak shut on your tongue.
煮饭煮糊 煮飯煮糊
zhǔfàn zhǔhúㄓㄨˇ ㄈㄢˋ ㄓㄨˇ ㄏㄨˊ
cooking rice, cooking it burnt, literally “cook rice burn”
zh-h minimal pair on a kitchen disaster: when zh is hard, hu burns.
左有十八，右有十八
zuǒ yǒu shíbā, yòu yǒu shíbāㄗㄨㄛˇ ㄧㄡˇ ㄕˊ ㄅㄚ ㄧㄡˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄕˊ ㄅㄚ
eighteen on the left, eighteen on the right, literally “left has 18, right has 18”
sh-s repetition in a riddle-like twister: the composition makes a forest, 林.
紫茄子
zǐ qiéziㄗˇ ㄑㄧㄝˊ ㄗ˙
purple eggplant, literally “purple eggplant”
z-q-z triplet on the ubiquitous vegetable: '吃茄子' poses for photos.
柿子红 柿子紅
shìzi hóngㄕˋ ㄗ˙ ㄏㄨㄥˊ
persimmons are red, literally “persimmon red”
sh-s-h alternation on a ripe fruit.
三月三
sānyuè sānㄙㄢ ㄩㄝˋ ㄙㄢ
third of March, literally “March three”
The festival date as twister: s-s repetition on a calendar.
四个头 四個頭
sì ge tóuㄙˋ ㄍㄜ˙ ㄊㄡˊ
four heads, literally “four heads”
s-t alternation on counting: sibilant then dental, back and forth.
河里有只船 河裡有隻船
hé lǐ yǒu zhī chuánㄏㄜˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄧㄡˇ ㄓ ㄔㄨㄢˊ
a boat in the river, literally “river in has a boat”
h-zh-ch consonant ladder: the simplest scene has three hurdles.
shuāyáㄕㄨㄚ ㄧㄚˊ
brushing teeth, literally “brush teeth”
sh-y minimal pair, one syllable each: micro-drill.
粉红墙上画凤凰 粉紅牆上畫鳳凰
fěnhóng qiáng shàng huà fènghuángㄈㄣˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄈㄥˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ
a phoenix drawn on a pink wall, literally “pink wall painted phoenix”
The f-h stack plus ang/uang rhymes: 画凤凰，画凤凰，粉红墙上画凤凰.
化肥会挥发 化肥會揮發
huàféi huì huīfāㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄈㄟˊ ㄏㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄨㄟ ㄈㄚ
fertilizer volatilizes, literally “chemical fertilizer will evaporate”
h/f/h minimal trio on a sentence about chemistry: a farming-science pun.
黑化肥发灰 黑化肥發灰
hēi huàféi fāhuīㄏㄟ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄈㄟˊ ㄈㄚ ㄏㄨㄟ
black fertilizer turns gray, literally “black fertilizer grays”
The f/h engine: hei-hua-fa-hui. Leads into the long version with 挥发.
分果果
fēn guǒguǒㄈㄣ ㄍㄨㄛˇ ㄍㄨㄛˇ
sharing the fruits, literally “divide fruits”
f/g/g alternation with uo finals: kids' distribution problem.
娃娃画画 娃娃畫畫
wáwa huàhuàㄨㄚˊ ㄨㄚ˙ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ
the baby draws pictures, literally “baby paints painting”
w-h-h reduplication plus reduplicated nouns: a toddler's tongue game.
槐树歪歪 槐樹歪歪
huáishù wāiwāiㄏㄨㄞˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄨㄞ ㄨㄞ
the scholar tree is crooked, literally “locust tree crooked”
The uai-glomeration: huai-shuai-wai.
白石白又滑
báishí bái yòu huáㄅㄞˊ ㄕˊ ㄅㄞˊ ㄧㄡˋ ㄏㄨㄚˊ
the white stone is white and smooth, literally “white stone white and slippery”
b-h alliteration:白石白塔白又滑.
缝衣裳 縫衣裳
féng yīshangㄈㄥˊ ㄧ ㄕㄤ˙
sewing clothes, literally “sew clothing”
f-y-sh layering: the sewing that unstitches your pronunciation.
牛郎年年恋刘娘 牛郎年年戀劉娘
Niúláng niánnián liàn Liúniángㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄌㄤˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄧㄢˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄋㄧㄤˊ
cowherd Niu yearns for Miss Liu every year, literally “Oxherd yearly loves Liu-lass”
The n-l killer: 牛(n) 年(n) 恋(l) 刘(l) 娘(n). Southern speakers who merge n/l meet their nemesis.
刘奶奶找牛奶奶买牛奶 劉奶奶找牛奶奶買牛奶
Liú nǎinai zhǎo Niú nǎinai mǎi niúnǎiㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄋㄞˇ ㄋㄞ˙ ㄓㄠˇ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄋㄞˇ ㄋㄞ˙ ㄇㄞˇ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄋㄞˇ
Grandma Liu buys milk from Grandma Niu, literally “Liu grandma seeks Niu grandma buys milk”
n/l stacked so densely it defeats most southern speakers: Liu-Niu-nai-niu-nai.
老龙恼怒闹老农 老龍惱怒鬧老農
lǎolóng nǎonù nào lǎonóngㄌㄠˇ ㄌㄨㄥˊ ㄋㄠˇ ㄋㄨˋ ㄋㄠˋ ㄌㄠˇ ㄋㄨㄥˊ
old dragon angrily pesters the old farmer, literally “old dragon annoys old farmer”
l-n alternation in a tiny myth: 龙nong龙闹农.
姥姥喝酪
lǎolao hē làoㄌㄠˇ ㄌㄠ˙ ㄏㄜ ㄌㄠˋ
grandma drinks yogurt, literally “granny drinks curd”
l-l-l patterning on the traditional snack: minimal effort, maximum mouth-wobble.
两个老婆婆 兩個老婆婆
liǎng ge lǎopópoㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄍㄜ˙ ㄌㄠˇ ㄆㄛˊ ㄆㄛ˙
two old ladies, literally “two old grannies”
l-p-p collisions: age and affection in a mouthful.
爷爷和姥姥 爺爺和姥姥
yéye hé lǎolaoㄧㄝˊ ㄧㄝ˙ ㄏㄜˊ ㄌㄠˇ ㄌㄠ˙
grandpa and grandma, literally “grandpa and grandma”
y-l-l: the kinship terms that host the l-chain trap.
老六放牛
lǎoliù fàng niúㄌㄠˇ ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄈㄤˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ
Old Six tends the cattle, literally “Old Six herds cows”
l-l-n chain: Liu-Six's bovine duties.
学理发 學理髮
xué lǐfàㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄈㄚˋ
learning to cut hair, literally “learn haircut”
x-l-f vowel cluster on vocational training.
新脑筋 新腦筋
xīn nǎojīnㄒㄧㄣ ㄋㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄣ
new way of thinking, literally “new brain-tendon”
x-n-j consonant run: the kind of word schools now teach parents to say.
南南有个篮篮 南南有個籃籃
Nánnan yǒu ge lánlanㄋㄢˊ ㄋㄢ˙ ㄧㄡˇ ㄍㄜ˙ ㄌㄢˊ ㄌㄢ˙
Nannan has a basket, literally “Nannan has basket”
n-l-l sequence on a child's possession: the southern accent trap.
一平盆面烙一平盆饼 一平盆面烙一平盆餅
yī píng pén miàn lào yī píng pén bǐngㄧ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄆㄣˊ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄌㄠˋ ㄧ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄆㄣˊ ㄅㄧㄥˇ
one flat basin of dough bakes one flat basin of cakes, literally “flat basin flour, flat basin pancakes”
p/b/p/b plus the in/ing nasal alternation: the muddle is in the vowels.
墙上钉钉子 牆上釘釘子
qiáng shàng dìng dīngziㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄉㄧㄥˋ ㄉㄧㄥ ㄗ˙
hammering nails into the wall, literally “wall on nails nail”
d/d stacked with ing finals: wall, nail, nail it.
天上一颗星 天上一顆星
tiānshàng yì kē xīngㄊㄧㄢ ㄕㄤˋ ㄧ ㄎㄜ ㄒㄧㄥ
one star in the sky, literally “sky on one star”
The eng/ing nasal drive: 星明 明净 净心.
画圆圈圈 畫圓圈圈
huà yuánquānquanㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄩㄢˊ ㄑㄩㄢ ㄑㄩㄢ˙
drawing circles, literally “draw round rings”
yuan-quan-quan: the front-vowel ü sequence that ties tongues.
盆碰瓶
pén pèng píngㄆㄣˊ ㄆㄥˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ
basin bumps bottle, literally “basin knocks bottle”
p-p-p with eng/ing oscillation: objects colliding.
老彭拿着一个盆 老彭拿著一個盆
lǎo Péng názhe yīge pénㄌㄠˇ ㄆㄥˊ ㄋㄚˊ ㄓㄜ˙ ㄧ ㄍㄜ˙ ㄆㄣˊ
Old Peng holds a basin, literally “Peng holds basin”
P name + p object: Peng's own basin.
严圆眼 嚴圓眼
Yán yuányǎnㄧㄢˊ ㄩㄢˊ ㄧㄢˇ
Yan Round-Eye, literally “Yan round-eye”
y-an-yuan: the nasal vowels make a name hard to say fast. The longer version picks 严眼圆 vs 圆眼严.
墙上一根钉 牆上一根釘
qiáng shàng yī gēn dīngㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄧ ㄍㄣ ㄉㄧㄥ
a nail on the wall, literally “wall on one nail”
q-d-ing: the smallest scene is often the trickiest.
太阳升 太陽昇
tàiyáng shēngㄊㄞˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄕㄥ
the sun rises, literally “sun rises”
t-sh-eng: a short tongue trap.
陈庄城通程庄城 陳莊城通程莊城
Chénzhuāng chéng tōng Chéngzhuāng chéngㄔㄣˊ ㄓㄨㄤ ㄔㄥˊ ㄊㄨㄥ ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄨㄤ ㄔㄥˊ
Chen Village connects to Cheng Village, literally “Chen-town city leads to Cheng-town city”
The en/eng nightmare: 陈 vs 程, chen vs cheng, and a real place-name.
炖冻豆腐 燉凍豆腐
dùn dòng dòufuㄉㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄡˋ ㄈㄨ˙
stewing frozen tofu, literally “stew frozen tofu”
d-d-d dental trifecta with ung-ong-ou vowels that don't cooperate.
八百标兵奔北坡 八百標兵奔北坡
bābǎi biāobīng bēn běipōㄅㄚ ㄅㄞˇ ㄅㄧㄠ ㄅㄧㄥ ㄅㄣ ㄅㄟˇ ㄆㄛ
eight hundred marksmen rush the north slope, literally “800 soldiers charge north slope”
The broadcast-announcer warm-up: b/p/b b/p barrage. Full: 八百标兵奔北坡，炮兵并排北边跑.
吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮
chī pútáo bù tǔ pútáopíㄔ ㄆㄨˊ ㄊㄠˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄊㄨˇ ㄆㄨˊ ㄊㄠˊ ㄆㄧˊ
eating grapes without spitting the skins, literally “eat grape no spit skin”
A child's favorite: the p/t/p cascade. The punchline flips it: 不吃葡萄倒吐葡萄皮.
红鲤鱼与绿鲤鱼与驴 紅鯉魚與綠鯉魚與驢
hóng lǐyú yǔ lǜ lǐyú yǔ lǘㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄩˊ ㄩˇ ㄌㄩˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄩˊ ㄩˇ ㄌㄩˊ
red carp, green carp, and a donkey, literally “red carp and green carp and donkey”
The ü assault: lü-lu-lyu stacked with li and lü. The internet's favorite impossible sentence.
哥挎瓜筐过宽沟 哥挎瓜筐過寬溝
gē kuà guākuāng guò kuāngōuㄍㄜ ㄎㄨㄚˋ ㄍㄨㄚ ㄎㄨㄤ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄎㄨㄢ ㄍㄡ
brother crosses a wide ditch with a melon basket, literally “brother shoulders melon-basket crosses wide ditch”
k/g/k alliteration on an absurd alliterative scene. Southern dialect speakers trip on the -ua glide.
扁担长，板凳宽 扁擔長，板凳寬
biǎndan cháng, bǎndèng kuānㄅㄧㄢˇ ㄉㄢ˙ ㄔㄤˊ ㄅㄢˇ ㄉㄥˋ ㄎㄨㄢ
the carrying pole is long, the bench is wide, literally “pole long, bench wide”
The classic opener that escalates into knot-tying absurdity: 扁担要绑在板凳上.
妈妈骑马 媽媽騎馬
māma qí mǎㄇㄚ ㄇㄚ˙ ㄑㄧˊ ㄇㄚˇ
mother rides a horse, literally “mama rides horse”
Every child's first twister: the a-i-a vowel seesaw plus tones 1-1-3-3. Deceptively hard at speed.
七巷一个漆匠 七巷一個漆匠
qīxiàng yīge qījiangㄑㄧ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄧ ㄍㄜ˙ ㄑㄧ ㄐㄧㄤ˙
a lacquerer in Seventh Lane, literally “7-lane has a lacquerer”
q/x/j consonant whiplash: 七巷漆匠西巷.
酒换油 酒換油
jiǔ huàn yóuㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄧㄡˊ
trading wine for oil, literally “wine trades for oil”
The iou/iu rhyme chain: 一葫芦酒换一葫芦油.
白猫黑猫 白貓黑貓
bái māo hēi māoㄅㄞˊ ㄇㄠ ㄏㄟ ㄇㄠ
white cat, black cat, literally “white cat black cat”
Deng Xiaoping's famous aphorism made twister: the ao-ao seesaw. 不管白猫黑猫，捉到老鼠就是好猫.
雕与猫 雕與貓
diāo yǔ māoㄉㄧㄠ ㄩˇ ㄇㄠ
eagle and cat, literally “hawk and cat”
diao/mao ao-pairing with a narrative about a cat stealing the eagle's fruit.
刀把儿 刀把兒
dāobàrㄉㄠ ㄅㄚˋ ㄦˊ
knife handle (erhua), literally “knife handle”
The erhua suffix drill: 把儿 vs 把, an r-colored vowel that northern kids absorb and southern ones fight.
东边来了一群羊 東邊來了一群羊
dōngbiān lái le yīqún yángㄉㄨㄥ ㄅㄧㄢ ㄌㄞˊ ㄌㄜ˙ ㄧ ㄑㄩㄣˊ ㄧㄤˊ
a flock of sheep from the east, literally “east came a flock of sheep”
q/y alliteration across a pastoral scene.
一二三，三二一
yī'èrsān, sān'èryīㄧ ㄦˋ ㄙㄢ ㄙㄢ ㄦˋ ㄧ
one-two-three, three-two-one, literally “123, 321”
The entry-level twister: numbers reversing on a seesaw rhythm. An actual children's chant.
楼上挂刀 樓上掛刀
lóushàng guà dāoㄌㄡˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄍㄨㄚˋ ㄉㄠ
a knife hung upstairs, literally “upstairs hangs knife”
ou-ua-ao vowel leap in a strange inventory list.
大妹和小妹
dàmèi hé xiǎomèiㄉㄚˋ ㄇㄟˋ ㄏㄜˊ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄇㄟˋ
big sister and little sister, literally “big sister and little sister”
d-x-m d-x-m: sisterly alternation with swapped sizes.
两只鹅 兩隻鵝
liǎng zhī éㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄓ ㄜˊ
two geese, literally “two geese”
zh-e final pairing plus the 儿 slot for erhua practice.
磨房磨墨
mòfáng mó mòㄇㄛˋ ㄈㄤˊ ㄇㄛˊ ㄇㄛˋ
grinding ink in the mill, literally “mill grinds ink”
m-m-m alliteration: sound recycling at the inkstone.
喂蝈蝈 喂蟈蟈
wèi guōguoㄨㄟˋ ㄍㄨㄛ ㄍㄨㄛ˙
feeding the cricket, literally “feed katydid”
w-g-g uo finals: keeping a singing insect is harder than saying it.
桥西走来一只鸡 橋西走來一隻雞
qiáoxī zǒulái yī zhī jīㄑㄧㄠˊ ㄒㄧ ㄗㄡˇ ㄌㄞˊ ㄧ ㄓ ㄐㄧ
a chicken comes from west of the bridge, literally “bridge west walks a chicken”
q-x-zh-j consonant field test in a pastoral vignette.
大王庙 大王廟
dàwángmiàoㄉㄚˋ ㄨㄤˊ ㄇㄧㄠˋ
the Great King's temple, literally “big king temple”
d-w-m sequence: vowel juggling on a temple name.
一点一横长，一撇到南洋 一點一橫長，一撇到南洋
yīdiǎn yīhèng cháng, yīpiě dào nányángㄧ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄧ ㄏㄥˋ ㄔㄤˊ ㄧ ㄆㄧㄝˇ ㄉㄠˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄧㄤˊ
answer: 广 (dot, long horizontal, left-falling stroke), literally “dot dash long, stroke to south sea”
Pure stroke recipe: the components of 广 'wide'. The riddle describes writing it.
一月七日
yīyuè qīrìㄧ ㄩㄝˋ ㄑㄧ ㄖˋ
answer: 脂 (月 + 七 + 日), literally “one month seven days”
月 moon + 七 seven + 日 sun assemble: 脂 'fat/grease'.
半个月亮 半個月亮
bànge yuèliangㄅㄢˋ ㄍㄜ˙ ㄩㄝˋ ㄌㄧㄤ˙
answer: 胖 (半 + 月), literally “half a moon”
半 'half' + 月 'moon' = 胖 'fat'. The moon being only half visible.
半部春秋
bànbù chūnqiūㄅㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨㄣ ㄑㄧㄡ
answer: 秦 (half of 春 + half of 秋), literally “half of spring autumn”
Take half of 春 and half of 秋: 秦, the dynasty's name. The elegant kind.
shǒuményuánㄕㄡˇ ㄇㄣˊ ㄩㄢˊ
answer: 闪 (person inside a gate), literally “gate guard”
A person 人 inside a door 门 = 闪 'flash'. Semantic composition.
一人一张口 一人一張口
yīrén yī zhāngkǒuㄧ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧ ㄓㄤ ㄎㄡˇ
answer: 拿 or 合 variants, literally “one person one mouth”
人 + 一 + 口 assemble = 拿 'take'. Simple stacking.
一人在内 一人在內
yīrén zài nèiㄧ ㄖㄣˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄟˋ
answer: 肉 (a 人 inside 内), literally “one person inside”
人 inside the radical = 肉 'meat'. The contour holds the person.
上下难分 上下難分
shàngxià nánfēnㄕㄤˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄈㄣ
answer: 卡 (上 above, 下 below, fused), literally “up down hard divide”
上 and 下 stacked inseparably = 卡 'stuck/card'. The meaning matches.
十个哥哥 十個哥哥
shí ge gēgeㄕˊ ㄍㄜ˙ ㄍㄜ ㄍㄜ˙
answer: 克 (十 + 兄), literally “ten brothers”
十 'ten' + 兄 'elder brother' = 克 'overcome'.
古时候的月亮 古時候的月亮
gǔshíhou de yuèliangㄍㄨˇ ㄕˊ ㄏㄡ˙ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄩㄝˋ ㄌㄧㄤ˙
answer: 胡 (古 + 月), literally “ancient moon”
古 'ancient' + 月 'moon' = 胡: the Hu surname and barbarian name.
一家十一口
yījiā shíyī kǒuㄧ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄕˊ ㄧ ㄎㄡˇ
answer: 吉 (十一 + 口), literally “family of eleven mouths”
十 + 一 + 口 stack vertically: 吉 'lucky'.
一字十三点 一字十三點
yīzì shísān diǎnㄧ ㄗˋ ㄕˊ ㄙㄢ ㄉㄧㄢˇ
answer: 汁 (十 + 三 dots of water), literally “one character thirteen dots”
氵(3 dots) + 十 (ten) = 汁 'juice'. The dots ARE the water radical.
格外大方
géwài dàfāngㄍㄜˊ ㄨㄞˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄈㄤ
answer: 回 (口 outside 口), literally “outside the grid big square”
A big square 口 outside the boundary 格 = 回 'return'. Geometry.
需要一半，留下一半
xūyào yībàn, liúxià yībànㄒㄩ ㄧㄠˋ ㄧ ㄅㄢˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄧ ㄅㄢˋ
answer: 雷 (top of 需 + bottom of 留), literally “need half keep half”
雨 from 需 + 田 from 留 = 雷 'thunder'.
千里姻缘一线牵 千里姻緣一線牽
qiānlǐ yīnyuán yīxiàn qiānㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ ㄧㄣ ㄩㄢˊ ㄧ ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄑㄧㄢ
answer: 重 (千 + 里 joined), literally “thousand li fate one thread pulls”
千 + 里 = 重 'heavy/again': the romantic proverb becomes composition.
自大一点 自大一點
zìdà yīdiǎnㄗˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄧ ㄉㄧㄢˇ
answer: 臭 (自 + 大 + 、), literally “self big one dot”
自 + 大 + a dot = 臭 'stinky': the moral riddle (arrogance stinks).
一人挑两小人 一人挑兩小人
yīrén tiāo liǎng xiǎorénㄧ ㄖㄣˊ ㄊㄧㄠ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ
answer: 夹 (大 + two dots), literally “one person carries two small ones”
大 person flanked by two small marks = 夹 'press between'.
wénwǔ shuāngquánㄨㄣˊ ㄨˇ ㄕㄨㄤ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
answer: 斌 (文 + 武), literally “civil martial both complete”
文 'letters' + 武 'martial' = 斌, the elegant boys' name.
十月十日
shíyuè shírìㄕˊ ㄩㄝˋ ㄕˊ ㄖˋ
answer: 朝 (ten + ten + sun + moon), literally “tenth month tenth day”
十 + 十 + 日 + 月 = 朝 'morning/dynasty': four parts assembled.
三人同日见 三人同日見
sānrén tóngrì jiànㄙㄢ ㄖㄣˊ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄖˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ
answer: 春 (三 + 人 + 日), literally “three people same sun meet”
三 + 人 + 日 = 春 'spring': the season built from people under one sun.
一大二小
yī dà èr xiǎoㄧ ㄉㄚˋ ㄦˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ
answer: 奈 (大 + 二 + 小), literally “one big two small”
大 + 二 + 小 stacked = 奈 'what can be done'.
一斗米
yīdǒu mǐㄧ ㄉㄡˇ ㄇㄧˇ
answer: 料 (斗 + 米), literally “one dou of rice”
斗 'measuring cup' + 米 'rice' = 料 'material'.
一月一日非今天
yīyuè yīrì fēi jīntiānㄧ ㄩㄝˋ ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄈㄟ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ
answer: 明 (月 + 日), literally “month day not today”
月 + 日 = 明 'bright': literally moon-plus-sun.
有水可养鱼虾 有水可養魚蝦
yǒushuǐ kě yǎng yúxiāㄧㄡˇ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧㄤˇ ㄩˊ ㄒㄧㄚ
answer: 池 (water radical + 也), literally “with water raises fish shrimp”
氵+ 也 = 池 'pond': the semantic clue riddles.
牛过独木桥 牛過獨木橋
niú guò dúmùqiáoㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄉㄨˊ ㄇㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄠˊ
answer: 生 (牛 on 一), literally “ox crosses one-log bridge”
牛 atop the one-log bridge 一 = 生 'life'.
一加一
yì jiā yīㄧ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄧ
answer: 王 (一 + 一 with | in between... 工 family), literally “one plus one”
一 + 一 joined = 王 or 工 depending: the arithmetic riddles.
二人力大顶破天 二人力大頂破天
èr rén lìdà dǐngpòtiānㄦˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄌㄧˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄉㄧㄥˇ ㄆㄛˋ ㄊㄧㄢ
answer: 夫 (two people break the sky), literally “two people power breaks sky”
二 + 人 exceeding 天 = 夫 'husband/man'.
九点 九點
jiǔdiǎnㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ
answer: 丸 (九 + 、), literally “nine dots”
九 + a dot = 丸 'pellet': the minimal addition.
千里挑一，百里挑一 千裡挑一，百裡挑一
qiānlǐ tiāoyī, bǎilǐ tiāoyīㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ ㄊㄧㄠ ㄧ ㄅㄞˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄊㄧㄠ ㄧ
answer: 伯 (亻+ 白), literally “thousand picks one hundred picks one”
亻(one from 千） + 白（one from 百） = 伯 'elder uncle'.
二小姐
èr xiǎojiěㄦˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄝˇ
answer: 姿 (次 + 女), literally “second miss”
次 'second' + 女 'woman' = 姿 'posture': sequential encoding.
两狗谈天 兩狗談天
liǎng gǒu tántiānㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄍㄡˇ ㄊㄢˊ ㄊㄧㄢ
answer: 狱 (犬 + 言 + 犬), literally “two dogs chatting”
Two 犬 flanking 言 'speech' = 狱 'prison': the talking-dog character.
一大一小
yī dà yī xiǎoㄧ ㄉㄚˋ ㄧ ㄒㄧㄠˇ
answer: 尖 (小 above 大), literally “one big one small”
Small over big = 尖 'sharp': the pointed top.
横竖都是二 橫豎都是二
héngshù dōu shì èrㄏㄥˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄉㄡ ㄕˋ ㄦˋ
answer: 井 (four 二s crossed), literally “horizontal vertical both two”
Two horizontal, two vertical: 井 'well'.
皇帝新衣
huángdì xīnyīㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄧ
answer: 袭 （龙 + 衣）, literally “emperor's new clothes”
龙 'emperor' + 衣 'clothes' = 袭 'attack/inherit': the naked emperor becomes a character.
一口咬掉牛尾巴
yīkǒu yǎodiào niúwěibaㄧ ㄎㄡˇ ㄧㄠˇ ㄉㄧㄠˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄨㄟˇ ㄅㄚ˙
answer: 告 (mouth bites off the ox's tail), literally “one mouth bites off ox tail”
牛 minus the tail stroke plus 口 underneath = 告 'tell'. The classic starter riddle: teaches 会意 composition.
一百减一 一百減一
yībǎi jiǎn yīㄧ ㄅㄞˇ ㄐㄧㄢˇ ㄧ
answer: 白 (百 minus one stroke), literally “hundred minus one”
百 minus the top stroke = 白 'white'. Arithmetic as character surgery.
旭日东升 旭日東昇
xùrì dōngshēngㄒㄩˋ ㄖˋ ㄉㄨㄥ ㄕㄥ
answer: 九 (旭's sun rises away), literally “morning sun rises east”
旭 minus its sun 日 = 九 'nine': the sun leaving the character.
九十九
jiǔshíjiǔㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄕˊ ㄐㄧㄡˇ
answer: 白 (百 minus one), literally “ninety-nine”
百 minus 一 = 白 'white': the number riddle.
十五天
shíwǔ tiānㄕˊ ㄨˇ ㄊㄧㄢ
answer: 胖 (half month), literally “fifteen days”
半月 = half month = 胖 'fat': the moon-pun riddle.
yīkǒu yǎodìngㄧ ㄎㄡˇ ㄧㄠˇ ㄉㄧㄥˋ
answer: 交 (咬's 口 removed = 交), literally “one mouth bites fix”
咬 minus 口 = 交 'hand over': removing the mouth.
砍掉水流
kǎn diào shuǐliúㄎㄢˇ ㄉㄧㄠˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄌㄧㄡˊ
answer: 永 (泳 minus the water radical), literally “chop off water flow”
Removing 氵from water characters: transformations.
人无信不立 人無信不立
rén wú xìn bù lìㄖㄣˊ ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧˋ
answer: 言 (信 minus 人), literally “person without trust can't stand”
信 minus 亻 = 言 'speech': integrity stripped of humanity is just words.
七十二小时 七十二小時
qīshí'èr xiǎoshíㄑㄧ ㄕˊ ㄦˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˊ
answer: 晶 (three 日 suns = 3 days), literally “seventy-two hours”
72 hours = 3 days = 三日 stacked: 晶 'crystal'. Time converted to radicals.
孔子登山
Kǒngzǐ dēngshānㄎㄨㄥˇ ㄗˇ ㄉㄥ ㄕㄢ
answer: 岳 (丘 + 山), literally “Confucius climbs mountain”
Confucius's given name is 丘: 丘 + 山 = 岳 'high peak'. History plus composition.
八十八
bāshíbāㄅㄚ ㄕˊ ㄅㄚ
answer: 米 (八 + 十 + 八), literally “eighty-eight”
88 = 米 'rice': the famous birthday riddle, 米寿 is turning 88.
二十四小时 二十四小時
èrshísì xiǎoshíㄦˋ ㄕˊ ㄙˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˊ
answer: 旦 or 旧 (a full day), literally “twenty-four hours”
One full day: sun + horizon line = 旦 'dawn', or 旧 'old'. Both answers are valid riddles.
妇女节前夕 婦女節前夕
Fùnǚjié qiánxīㄈㄨˋ ㄋㄩˇ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄒㄧ
answer: 三七 (the eve of 3/8, i.e. March 7), literally “women's day eve”
March 8 minus one = 3×7: the calendar arithmetic riddle.
镜中人 鏡中人
jìngzhōng rénㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄖㄣˊ
answer: 入 (mirror of 人), literally “mirror's person”
The reflection flips 人 to 入 'enter': visual mirroring.
人有我大，天没有我大 人有我大，天沒有我大
rén yǒu wǒ dà, tiān méiyǒu wǒ dàㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄇㄟˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄚˋ
answer: 一 （人+一=大，天-一=大）, literally “people have me I'm big, heaven lacks me it's big”
Add 一 to 人 get 大； remove 一 from 天 get 大. Clever.
刘邦听之大喜 劉邦聽之大喜
Liú Bāng tīng zhī dàxǐㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄅㄤ ㄊㄧㄥ ㄓ ㄉㄚˋ ㄒㄧˇ
answer: 翠 (羽+卒 'feathered death'), literally “Liu Bang hears, rejoices”
The historical joke: 项羽卒 (Xiang Yu dead) = 羽+卒 = 翠. Dark wordplay.