Homophone Riddles

Author: Sheng Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: In linguistics, "homophones" are divided into broad and narrow definitions. The broad definition includes both homophones with identical sounds and forms, as well as those with different sounds but identical forms. The narrow definition refers only to homophones with identical sounds and forms. Considering that words with different sounds but identical forms are often called disyllabic words, and monosyllabic ones are called disyllabic characters, this category of words has attracted considerable attention. In contrast, homophones with identical sounds and forms are more concealed and have not received enough attention. Therefore, our "homophonic words" adopt the narrow definition, referring specifically to this subset. Occasionally, we include a few commonly used disyllabic words in real-life contexts, such as "hobby" (àihǎo/àihào). This approach also aligns with the book's relatively concise length requirements. We named it "homophonic words" because our (collection scope) primarily consists of words, but we also include some morphemes and phrases based on actual circumstances. Some are included because they are commonly used, some because they are difficult to distinguish, and some because one meaning is lexical, while the other is phrasal or morphemic.