九份 (Jiǔ Fèn) is the name of a small town in northern Taiwan. Jiǔ Fèn is famous for its Yu Yuan, a type of sweet dessert.
In Mandarin Chinese, 九份 also means “nine portions”, so this double meaning is the basis of this Mandarin Chinese joke about Xiao Ming, a visitor who wants to try the delicious food of 九份.
This Mandarin Chinese joke is presented in Chinese characters, Pinyin Romanization, and an English translation.
Traditional Characters
有一天，小明到九份玩時，想到他朋友說那的芋圓很好吃，就到了一家芋圓的店，他決定買了，他說：老闆我食量很小耶，可不可以賣我一份就好？老闆：.......
Simplified Characters
有一天，小明到九份玩时，想到他朋友说那的芋圆很好吃，就到了一家芋圆的店，他决定买了，他说：老板我食量很小耶，可不可以卖我一份就好？老板：.......
Pinyin
Yǒu yītiān, Xiǎo Míng dào Jiǔ Fèn wán shí, xiǎngdào tā péngyou shuō nà de yù yuán hěnhǎo chī, jiù dàole yī jiā yù yuán de diàn, tā juédìng mǎi le, tā shuō: lǎobǎn, wǒ shí liàng hěn xiǎo yē, kě bùkěyǐ mài wǒ yī fèn jiù hǎo?Lǎobǎn: ???!!!
