Selected Jokes from Chinese History. 1 (Chinese-English Contrastive Version)

Author: Li Huanwu (Translated by Liu Jianning)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1991-01-01
Features: Life cannot do without jokes, and jokes cannot do without life. Over thousands of years, the hardworking and wise Chinese people, while creating a splendid ancient civilization, have left behind a rich cultural heritage for later generations—tens of thousands of jokes from all dynasties. They are either humorous, satirical, witty, or biting; they expose social flaws, mock bad habits, offer lessons, and promote virtue over vice. Rooted in the vast social life, they flourish like lush trees, enduring through time. Today, we have selected hundreds of these jokes, refined their wording, added brief annotations, illustrations, and English translations, compiling them into several volumes.
Set against the backdrop of social life, these jokes reveal the greed, cunning, flattery, and foolishness prevalent in society at the time, while also showcasing people's ingenuity and humor. Regardless of how diverse these stories may be, they always revolve around laughter. Often, a single amusing incident, a snippet, or even a witty remark, through exaggeration and imagination, can make people burst into laughter uncontrollably. While bringing joy and laughter, these jokes also broaden knowledge and help people discern truth from falsehood, beauty from ugliness, and virtue from vice.
The compilers have selected 102 jokes from the vast collection of jokes in Chinese history, presenting them in a bilingual Chinese-English format with illustrations, offering an interesting and beneficial reading material for foreign friends learning Chinese. These jokes also reflect the ethical views of the Chinese people and will contribute to enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and people of all nations.