Characters Take Center Stage In Chinese Pun Control
Many of you may have heard the puzzling report some months ago of the Chinese government’s attempt to control puns. Many American late-night comedians and news network broadcasters, armed with a few witty puns, used this occasion to poke fun at this policy. How can someone control pun use? What is the harm of having a few puns? We will have to leave it to others to tackle the first question, but I will try to shed some light on the latter, and through this process, I hope to also shed some light on an important component of the Chinese language, 成语 (chéng yǔ). It has never occurred to me that my penchant for English puns might have any connection to my penchant for Chinese puns, because the ways that we pun in these two languages are quite different. Most English puns play off words with the same spelling but different meanings. For example, I could say, “I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.” The pun is a spin on the various definitions of the word interest. The word could mean “a sense of curiosity.” But in this context, it could also be an allusion to dividends or shares in a financial investment. The person who made this pun is certainly aware of these two definitions; therefore, when an English speaker makes a pun, it demonstrates his or her knowledge of the language. It does not distort the English language, but it is rather a witty play on a word’s different definitions.
