Chinese riddles facts for kids

Chinese riddles are fun puzzles that have been around for a very long time, since about 200 CE! They are special because they often use clever visual tricks with Chinese characters.

The idea of Chinese riddles actually started even earlier, around the Warring States Period (475-221 BCE). However, not many old riddles were written down. This might be because scholars back then thought riddles weren't serious enough for important books. The first time riddles were written down in Chinese literature was during the Wei dynasty (220-265 CE). One of the oldest riddles we still have is called the 'Yellow Pongee Riddle'.

Riddles have also been a big part of the Chinese Lantern Festival for a long time. People started connecting riddles with the Lantern Festival around the 17th century.

What are Riddles Called in Chinese?

In modern Chinese, the word for 'riddle' is mi (謎). This word means "to bewilder" or "to puzzle".

When people talk about riddles, they have special terms:

• The mian (面) is the "surface" or the question part of the riddle.
• The di (底) is the "base" or the answer part of the riddle.

Older Chinese words for 'riddle' like yin (讔) and sou (廋) both meant "hidden".

Character Riddles: Puzzles with Pictures

Chinese riddles often use cool visual tricks with Chinese characters. Let's look at an example: "千 里 会 千 金". These characters mean 'thousand kilometre meet thousand gold'.

Here's how you solve it:

• Step 1: The Words

* In Chinese culture, a very fast horse is said to run "thousand kilometres" (千 里) in a day. So, "千 里" can mean "马" (horse). * A daughter is often called "thousand gold" (千 金) because she is very precious to her family. So, "千 金" can mean "女" (daughter).

• Step 2: The Picture

* Now, imagine combining the character for "horse" (马) with the character for "daughter" (女). * When you put them together, they form the character "妈" (mother)!

So, the answer to "thousand kilometres meet thousand gold" is "妈" (mother). Pretty clever, right?

Oldest Character Riddles

Even before character riddles, there were other mysterious writings. These were like riddles that predicted the future. They appeared as early as the Han dynasty (206 BCE).

Here's an example of one of these old riddle-like prophecies:

This text seems confusing, but it's a puzzle! If you combine the three characters from the first line, they form the character wei (巍). This character is sometimes used for the state of Cao Wei. So, the riddle was a hidden message saying that Cao Wei would defeat the Han Dynasty and rule the empire.

The Famous Yellow Pongee Riddle

One of the oldest character riddles we know is the 'Yellow Pongee Riddle'. People think it was written around the 2nd century CE. The oldest copy of this riddle was found on a piece of silk fabric.

The riddle goes: 'Yellow silk, young maiden; maternal grandchild, shredded pickle in sauce, mortar' (黃絹幼婦外孫臼).

The solution to this riddle is: 'utterly wonderful, lovely, words!'

How do you get that answer?

• "Yellow pongee" (黃絹) means colored silk. When you combine the characters for "color" and "silk", you get jue (絕), which means "utterly".
• "Youthful wife" (幼婦) means young woman. Combining the characters for "young" and "woman" gives you miao (妙), meaning "wonderful".
• "Maternal grandson" (外孫) means a daughter’s son. Combining the characters for "daughter" and "son" gives you hao (好), meaning "lovely".
• "Ground in a mortar" (臼) means to suffer hardship. Combining the characters for "suffer" and "hardship" gives you ci (辭), meaning "words".

Put it all together, and you get "utterly wonderful, lovely words"! This type of character riddle is sometimes called a 'Cao E Type' riddle.

Zen Buddhist Riddles: Kōans

Another special kind of riddle is called a kōan (公案). These riddles were used in Zen Buddhism as a way to teach and help people reach enlightenment. Most kōans we know today come from the 11th to 13th centuries.

To solve a kōan, you don't just think of an answer. You have to meditate for a long time, using Zen ideas. The goal is to understand something deeper about yourself and the world.

Here's a famous kōan from Japan: 'Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand?'

This riddle isn't about a literal sound. It's about understanding that the search for the answer is part of the answer itself. When you truly understand a kōan, you become one with the riddle.

Fun Modern Folk Riddles

In the 20th century, many Chinese folk riddles were collected. These riddles often play on words that sound alike (homophones) in Chinese.

Here are some examples of these fun folk riddles:

• There is a small vessel filled with sauce, one vessel holding two different kinds. (Answer: Egg)
• Washing makes it more and more dirty; it is cleaner without washing. (Answer: Water)
• There is a big rooster. When it sees someone, then it makes a bow. (Answer: Tea pot)
• A certain family lived in two courts with many children in each, and, strange to say, the greater were less than the lesser and the less were more than the greater. (Answer: Abacus)
• When I go out, I am thick and fat. When I come home, I am meager like a skeleton. Then I am put in a corner against the wall and my tears flow freely. (Answer: Umbrella)
• When you use it you throw it away, and when you do not use it you bring it back. (Answer: Anchor)