Some Mandarin words have the same sound and the same tone, even though they are different characters. This Mandarin Chinese joke is about a student who gets his words mixed up.
This joke makes no sense in English, but can help to develop your vocabulary while learning a little bit about Chinese culture. The joke is presented in Chinese characters, Pinyin Romanization, an English translation, and an explanation follows.
Traditional Characters
快考試了，老師在課堂上幫同學們做重點提示。
老師：這一題很重要，在前面畫星星。
小志：老師....可不可以用打勾的啊，「猩猩」好難畫哦....
Simplified Characters
快考试了，老师在课堂上帮同学们做重点提示。
老师：这一题很重要，在前面画星星。
小志：老师....可不可以用打勾的啊，「猩猩」好难画哦....
Pinyin Romanization
Kuài kǎoshì le, lǎoshī zài kètáng shàng bāng tóngxué men zuò zhòngdiǎn tíshì.
Lǎoshī: Zhè yī tí hěn zhòngyào, zàiqián miàn huà xīngxing.
Xiǎo Zhì: Lǎoshī, kě bù kěyǐ yòng dǎ gōu de a, “xīngxing” hǎo nán huà é …
English Translation
Just before a test, the teacher was helping the students prepare by pointing out the important parts of the text.
Teacher: This topic is very important. Mark this section with a star.
Xiao Zhi: Can I just use a checkmark? A monkey is too hard to draw…
Explanation
In Mandarin, “star” (星星) and “monkey” (猩猩) have the same sound and tone.
