Chinese Humor: A Historical Observation of Modern Society

Author: Wang Xuetai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Since the promotion of humorous literature, making jokes has become a profession for writers. Humor, of course, expresses itself through laughter, but laughter does not necessarily mean humor. Western idioms call laughter that is melodious and clear "silver laughter." Fake humor is like counterfeit coins mixed with lead, producing a heavy, dull, and wooden sound, which can only be called "lead laughter." However, "silver laughter" might imply making a profit from jokes, meaning laughter with silver—Qu Lin: "On Laughter"
The dozens of essays collected in this book start from ancient Chinese jokes or humorous fables and analyze them in the form of essays. Through these analyses, it offers some reflections on traditional culture.