Humor Technique

Author: Yuan Guangcai et al. / Country:
Publisher:
Publishing Time: 2003-11-01
Features: The mother counted and found that the words for success were 50 characters shorter, while the words for failure were 50 characters longer. Soon, the scholar returned, and as soon as he entered the door, he asked his wife, "Have you finished writing?" His wife replied, "I've counted them all. Not enough for success, more than enough for failure, all just ''."
Quotations and Dialogues During the "Cultural Revolution," due to the influence of the Lin Biao and Jiang Qing counter-revolutionary groups, dogmatism in writing style prevailed in society, and quoting Mao Zedong's sayings during dialogue became fashionable.
(1) One day, a couple argued and went to the people's commune Revolutionary Committee to file for divorce. The commune official meddled, saying, "Unity, not division, do you know?" The woman shouted loudly, "Determination, I want to divorce!" The man, upon hearing this, quickly said, "Overcoming all difficulties, I will not do it!" The official got angry and said to them, "Revolution and production, I won't meddle in family matters." The woman,, the official and said, "Wholeheartedly, I insist on divorce!" The man also grabbed the official and said, "Serving the people, you can't ignore both adults and children!" The official said to the couple, "We haven't forgotten 'Serving the people,' but we can't arbitrarily stamp 'Adhering to principles,' so you two should go back and live your good life."
(2) A customer bought fruits, and the following haggling began between the customer and the clerk: Customer: "Serving the people—I'm buying two pounds of fruit." Clerk: "Men and women are the same—what kind do you want?" Customer: "Revolution is not a dinner party—I want red commandos, please choose the bigger ones." Clerk: "Struggle against selfishness and rectify revisionism—don't pick!" Customer: "Our responsibility is to be responsible to the people—please select for me."
Quotation Rhetoric Quotation rhetoric refers to the use of existing proverbs, maxims, literary works, fables, allusions, etc., in speech or writing to enhance expressive effect. Quotations are usually divided into explicit and implicit categories. If the quoted material is a statement or allusion from ancient classics or works, it is called "using allusions." Proper quotations can make language more vivid, powerful, and full of interest. In specific linguistic contexts, misplaced or incongruous quotations often create humor. Humorous quotations may involve semantic dislocation, contextual mismatch, the use of solemn words in a playful way, playful words in a solemn context, the use of grand words for trivial matters, trivial words for grand matters, the use of complimentary words for derogatory purposes, or the use of derogatory words for complimentary purposes. For example, a crosstalk piece written using idioms goes like this:
Zi: "Simply, do you have any dishes?"
Jia: "Cold dishes include 'wolf heart and dog lung,' 'mouse belly and chicken intestine,' 'worrying and sweating,' 'scratching ears and scratching temples.'"
Zi: "If I eat this, I'll definitely get poisoned! What about hot dishes?"
Jia: "I'll kill a 'wooden chicken,' fry a 'climbing a tree to catch fish,' boil a 'walking corpse,' cook a 'staying up all night,' braize a 'tiger back and bear waist,' and stew a 'horse stumbling forward.'"
Zi: "Can I eat this?"
Another example is from Han Biao's book "Laugh-Out-Loud Short Stories," titled "An Article That Makes the Chinese Teacher Crazy," which reads:
Today is a holiday, so we had a day off. Mom and Dad took us to the zoo. As usual, we like sweet potato porridge for breakfast. Today, since sweet potatoes were sold out, Mom had to resort to cutting yam to make up for it. Unexpectedly, the yams on the balcony were very delicious, and the whole family greedily ate them. Before leaving, my mom, who looked like a middle-aged woman, dressed up beautifully, so much so that she didn't look like a long-suffering wife. My dad, whose hair was still thin, quickly changed into a two-piece suit and looked handsome and terrifying, making people avoid him. My pretty sister, who was eager to imitate Dong Shi, wore a push-up bra and painted herself to look dazzling, wearing new high heels with arrogance. We all sat in a horse-drawn carriage, quickly arrived at the zoo, but found that there were so many people that it was like wolves among grass and trees, separating our family. My dad, who was separated from his wife and children, tirelessly broadcast everywhere and finally found us. We struggled to squeeze to the monkey enclosure and took a forced smile family photo. Next, we went to the bird garden, which was full of the beauty of nature's music, with the sound of crickets and the cry of crows. Later, when Dad was wildly pointing out who was who, a cool breeze blew, and the taste of spitting in the face made us shiver. Mom quickly covered Dad with a robe and reminded us to follow suit. In the evening, because it was a holiday, every restaurant was crowded, so Mom took us to a hot pot.
A restaurant had just changed its wallpaper, and it was very beautiful with its walls bare but elegant. The dim lighting, combined with the atmosphere of being besieged on all sides, was very atmospheric. The female waitresses, who were like hidden soldiers, were busy flirting with guests and serving them with honeyed words, making it seem like we were in the Western Paradise. Starving us, we ordered a mixed hot pot. My dad, who was not easily tempted, drank first and said, "Let's get this over with quickly!" The female waitresses, who were like wolves in sheep's clothing, quickly brought the hot pot to the table. We, who were already full, quickly started eating, but the lid was too small, making it hard to hide our intentions. After the soup boiled, we, who were hot and thirsty, quickly took off our clothes and started eating, trying to catch everything. After we, who were red-faced and panting, finished eating the hot pot, there was barely anything left, and only a few escaped.
My mom, who still remembered her motherly role, wanted to add vermicelli, but found that the fire was almost out, so she had to hold back. Fortunately, my dad, who was like a tiger with a bear's, called the waiter to save the day, and the hot pot was saved. We, who were sitting like needles in a haystack, benefited from the situation. After the birds were gone, our family, who were like wine and food, got drunk and proud. My sister and I were even more pleased with ourselves. But when it came time to pay, the boss revealed his true colors and demanded a thousand gold for a meal. My dad, who was like a cow panting in the moonlight, and my mom, who was crying in a cow's skin, felt wronged. Ah! This lucky holiday was ruined when my dad, who was ashamed of his wallet, acted like a hero and abandoned his family. In this 1,200-character short story, the author quotes over 80 idioms. If viewed as a factual article, these quotations are out of context and absurd. However, it is precisely this linguistic ambiguity that brings us great joy.
Adding Flavor and Oil and Vinegar
Brother: "Brother, this is my Chinese homework. Use the phrase 'adding flavor and oil and vinegar' to make a sentence. Can you take a look?"
Brother took his younger brother's homework and read, "My dad is the deputy director of the catering company. Every day when he eats breakfast at the center hotel, the master Wang adds flavor and oil and vinegar to his bowl."
After thinking for a moment, he said, "The sentence is grammatically correct, but 'adding flavor and oil and vinegar' is usually used metaphorically. In this sentence, it's too literal." He then took a pencil and made another sentence: "Every time the center hotel holds an award ceremony, my dad goes to praise Master Wang for adding flavor and oil and vinegar."
The younger brother clapped his hands and praised. At that moment, Dad walked over, took a look at the two sentences, and frowned, muttering, "What nonsense is this? Purely adding flavor and oil and vinegar!"
Actually, Completely Clueless
In the past, there was a landlord named Zhang who got a son at the age of fifty. Being an old father, he loved his son like a pearl in his palm. The old man, eager for his son to succeed, hired an old scholar to teach him when he was less than seven years old. After a few days of class, the old man went to check on his son's studies. The scholar said, "Your son has learned a lot of courses, and his studies are 'seven holes through six holes.'"
Hearing this, the old man was overjoyed. He thought, "At such a young age, his studies are 'seven holes through six holes,' which is really impressive." So, he went around praising his only son as a genius. That day, some friends came to visit, and the old man again boasted about his son's studies. The friends kept listening and found it more and more funny. Finally, they couldn't hold it in anymore and said, "Brother, your son's studies are 'seven holes through six holes,' but in fact, he's 'completely clueless'!"
Teeth for Teeth
In an elementary school, many students were wearing stainless steel braces for teeth correction. One day, a teacher tried to inspire the students to answer what "returning the favor" meant by giving an example: "Your parents have spent a lot of money to correct your teeth. In the future, when your parents are old, you will spend money to get them dentures. What is this called?"
One student answered, "Teeth for teeth."
Toasting Toast
Old Ma often quoted idioms in his speech. One day, he went to celebrate a friend's wedding. The bride and groom came to toast the guests. Old Ma saw that the bride was exceptionally beautiful and praised, "You are truly 'completely transformed' today." Then he raised his glass and said to the groom, "Come, let's 'perish together.'"
Five Great Days
In ancient times, an official was transferred to a different post. Before leaving, people gave him a large plaque with four large characters: "Five Great Days." The official didn't understand what this meant. A scholar spoke on behalf of everyone and explained, "When you first took office, it was 'golden sky and silver earth'; when you were in the inner office, it was 'flowering sky and drinking wine'; when you sat on the bench to judge cases, it was 'dark sky and dark earth'; when the people were wronged, it was 'hating the sky and resenting the earth'; now that you are finally leaving, we are thanking the sky and the earth!"
Bald Head and Shaved Head
Daughter: "Dad, why is your head bald?"