Author: J.L
(YY: J.L explains a special form of the Chinese language, xie hou yu, which combines a witty use of metaphor and pronunciation. She would also like to share a photo of her parents as considering these sayings makes her think about and miss her parents back in China.)
Xie hou yu, known as ‘truncated witticism’, is a form of colloquialism especially popular in Northeast China. It normally consists of two parts. The first part denotes a vivid life-world phenomenon, and the second is derived from the first, carrying the meaning and real intention of the speaker. Interestingly, the second part can sometimes omitted to achieve a sense of subtlety and humour. Not surprisingly, puns are often involved in Xie hou yu. However, it is more popular in older generations and fading gradually among younger ones. Some of the Xie hou yus used by my father and grandparents are still ringing in my ears. Here are a couple of examples (I also wrote one on the card in the Launch event.)
- Gua zi bu da, shi ren xin. 瓜子不大，实仁心。
Translation: sun flower seeds are not big, but they are seeds/benevolence afterall. (Phonetically punning on ‘ren’ meaning both seeds and human).
I remember my dad often said this when I did something nice to him.:)
- Xiao cong ban dou fu, yi qing er bai. 小葱拌豆腐，一清二白。
Translation: Spring onion mixed with tofu, pure/green and white. (Phonetically punning on ‘qing’ meaning both green (青) and pure (清)to indicate someone is innocent. Besides, Xiao cong ban dou fu, being a very popular dish in the north east region, gains more traction to the phrase.)
