The language is like 80% homonyms. You can't avoid wordplay if you wanted to.
For example, check out this poem that's entirely made up of homophones: https://youtu.be/vExjnn_3ep4
This is a really old type of propaganda. Sergei Eisenstein wrote about it, after he visited France in the 1920s:
"Why aren't there any comedies in your country? Is it true the Soviets have killed laughter?" A deadly silence ensued. Usually I am slow at finding a proper answer, especially in front of the public. But this time I had a brain-wave. Instead of replying, I burst out laughing. "They'll roar with laughter in the Soviet Union when I tell them of your question!"
"As you can see here, the dimensions of the brain pan of the yellow man makes him predisposed to dourness"
gonna copy paste this response lol:
What they're talking about is this:
China bans wordplay in attempt at pun control But the order from the State Administration for Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television says: “Radio and television authorities at all levels must tighten up their regulations and crack down on the irregular and inaccurate use of the Chinese language, especially the misuse of idioms.” Programmes and adverts should strictly comply with the standard spelling and use of characters, words, phrases and idioms – and avoid changing the characters, phrasing and meanings, the order said.
What gets me is how this is anyway construed as banning puns.
State Regulator tells companies to stop bastardizing Chinese Idioms for their own private gain
MUH FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!! CHINA IS BANNING THE USE OF IDIOMS!!!
What. The. Fuck. No. Did you even read the fucking article?
That article was written by a Chinese dad and you can’t convince me otherwise.
In Gommulist China, no poopoo! No stanky butt! Only US freedom say braaaaaaappppp!!!
lmao thats so stupid, chinese is a very poetic and long winded language.
So they don't publish news in Chinese anymore? Because that's like 85% of the language.
You'd have to know literally nothing about the chinese language to possibly believe this lmao
I am, at best, a novice of the Chinese language and this claim is laughable if for no other reason than it's almost impossible NOT to make puns. There's a famous poem - 44 dead stone lions - that's one part word play and one part tongue twisters that Chinese kids compete to say properly.
This is the sort of joke that needs to be translated into mandarin just so it can be mocked in a manner the culture can fully support.
