An Analysis of Chinese Xiehouyu(歇后语, XHY) 英语毕业论文 12页

AnAnalysisofChineseXiehouyu(歇后语,XHY)AbstractAsiswidelyacknowledged,ChineseXiehouyu(for歇后语,hereinafterabbreviatedtoXHY)isafruitofwisdomgrownbyChinesebroadmassesandaninvaluableassettwinklingintheChineseculturaltreasury.Tostartwith,we’dliketotalkaboutXHY’snotablefunctions,bothsemanticallyandpragmatically,which,toaconsiderabledegree,leadstoourchoiceofXHYasthethesis’ssubject.Ontheonehand,XHYisconsideredvaluableintermsofitssemanticfunction.AccordingtotheChinese-EnglishDictionary(1996),“XHYisatwo-partallegoricalsaying,ofwhich,thefirstpart,alwaysstated,isdescriptive,whilethesecondpart,sometimesunstated,carriesthemessage”.SurroundingXHY’semanticfunction,scholarshavecarriedouttheirstudiesmainlyfromtheperspectiveofrhetoricfunctionandsyntacticfunction(WeDuanzheng，1980，P．102—120；WenDuanzheng，ZhouJian，2000，P．150-151).We’llstatethispartconcretelyinthefollowingarticle(chapter3)and,toavoidtheneedlessduplication,wejustwanttogivearoughintroductionhere.Brieflyspeaking,XHY,withitssubtlerhetoricanduniquesyntacticpattern,performsagreatsemanticfunctioninthelinguisticworld.Ontheotherhand,appliedwidelyinpeople’sdailylife,XHYalsoexertsapragmaticallycommunicativefunction.Accordingtosomeresearcherswhohasdevotedtothisfield(Halliday,1994;HeZiran,2000;RanYongping,ZhangXinhong,2007),XHY’spragmaticfunctionisgenerallyreflecteduponsuchfouraspects.First,XHYcanelicitahumorouseffectduringconversations,which,creatingakindofrelaxingandjocularatmosphere,helpsspeakersexpresstheirmeaningsandachievetheirgoalsmoreeffectively.Hereisanexample：“石老根说：‘我这是刚进庙的和尚念经——现学现唱，其他的字就不认识了。’(《玉龙的眼睛》，第73页)”.(ShiLaogensays：“I"manewly-arrivedmonktochantscriptures——singingassoonaslearning,buttherestisoutofmyability.”(TheEyesofYuLong,P．73))Bycomparinghimselftoanewly-arrivedmonkwhojustlearnedtochantscriptures,ShiLaogenvividlycarveshisawkwardnessandmakeshisdifficultyunderstoodbyothers.Second,XHYcanbeusedtobreakiceandbridgethegapbetweenspeakersandhearers,especiallystrangers,andcontributetoaharmoniouspersonalrelationship.Forinstance,“我没话找话问她：‘你贵姓?’‘不知道’‘你叫不知道啊?看来你是自行车下坡——不踩(睬)!’‘什么啊?你真会逗人!’(《往事散记》，第28页)”.(Iaskhersenselessly：“What’syourname?”“Idon’tknow.”“Isyourname‘Idon’tknow’?Youseemgodownhillbybike——neednotpedal(takenonotice)!”“What?Youarereallyaninterestingperson!”(SomeMemoryofthePast，P．28))Inthisinstance,thewoman’sindifferentattitudecanbeseenfromherresponse“Idon’tknow”.However,withthehelpofXHY,themansucceedsinarousingthewoman’sattentionandcuttingdowntheirdistance,consequentlymaking thefurtherconversationpossible.Third,XHYplaysamagicallyadmirableroleinsofteningconflicts.Lookatsuchcase：“(王京生出差广州住在宾馆，觉得很热，想叫服务员换条薄被子)王：‘麻烦你给我换条薄被子。’服务员不太情愿：‘被子怎么了，我们是一客一换。’王：‘我没说被子不干净啊，只是这被子，真是皇上他妈——太后(厚)。’(服务员听完，笑了笑，立刻换了条薄被子)(《出差杂记》，第47页))”.(WangJingshenggoestoGuangzhouonbusinessandlivesinaguesthouse．Heisfeelingtoohotandwantstheattendanttochangeathinnerquilt.Wang：“Wouldyoumindchanginganotherquiltforme?”Theattendanthesitates：“What’swrongwiththequilt?Wealwayschangethequiltwhentheguestchecksout．”Wang：“Idon’tmeanthequiltisnotclean．Butthequiltisliketheemperor’smother——dowager(toothick)．”(Afterthattheattendantsmilesandatoncechangesathinnerone)(TheMiscellaneaonBusiness，P．47))ThecaseshowsXYH’sgreatfunctioninavoidingpersonalconflictsandsolvingpracticalproblems.WhenWangJingsheng’srequestisrefusedbytheattendant,andaconflictisonthevergeofbreakingout,theuseofXHYproducesanimmediateeffectonclearingthetenseairandfinallybringstheproblemtoasatisfactorysettlement.Fourth,XHYservesasapopulartoolforpeopletoreinforcetoneinordertopouremotions.Thispointcanbeseenclearlyduringthefollowingexample.“洪大榕心里美滋滋的，打开了话夹子：‘我真是高兴啊!如今的日子真是好比甘蔗加蜜糖——甜上加甜!’(《霞岛》，第7页)”.(HongDarongfeelsverypleasedandbeginssaying：“HowhappynowIam!Thelifeislikethesugarcanemixedwithhoney——evensweeter．”(TheIslandofRosyCloud,P．7))WiththemetaphoricalXHY“甘蔗加蜜糖——甜上加甜”,HongDaronghighlightshishappylifenowandconveyshispleasureandcontentmenttothefull.Inaword,XHYdoesplayanimportantroleinpeople’slives.Viewingthispoint,weeventuallymakeupourmindstofinishsuchathesis.Thethesis,inanattempttosketchasilhouetteofXHYforreaders,isintentionallydividedintofourmainchaptersonthewhole.ThefirstchaptergivesageneralintroductiontoXHY,duringwhichXHYisbasicallydefinedand,throughthevariousEnglishdenominationsofXHY,XHY’sfundamentalinformationisoffered.ThesecondchaptermainlydealswithallkindsofopinionsabouttheoriginofXHY.Thoughtheviewsvaryandscholarsseemunabletoreachacommonagreement,what’sacceptedbynearlyeveryoneisthatXHYtakesrootinChinesepeople’slong-termlivingpracticeandbudsandflowersintheextensiveandprofoundChineseculture.ThethirdchaptergoesdeepintothecharacteristicsofXHY.WediscussXHY’scharacteristicsfromthreerespects,successivelyrichChineseculture,flexiblestructureandvariedformation,andillustrateeachpointconcretely.Thelastchapterfunctionsasanall-inclusivesummary,takingapanoramicviewofthewholethesisandprovidingaconcisereviewonkeypointsmentionedbefore.Intheend,wedeclareourintentionagainandcallonpeopletopaymoreattentiontoChinesetraditionalculture,inwhichXHYundoubtedlyoccupiesadecisiveposition.Keywords:XHY,definitionandoriginofXHY,characteristicsofXHY, Chineseculture,language Chapter1Introduction1.1DefinitionofXHYXHＹisapopularandusefullanguageform,whichisinventedbyChinese.XHYisaninterestingandwiselanguagesform,whichispeculiartoChina.XHYisahumorousandmeaningfullanguageform,whichreflectsthewisdomofChinese.AccordingtotheBaiduBaike,XHYisakindoffolkadage,mostofwhichisfamiliartopeople.Folkadageconsistsofproverb,idiomandXHY.XHYcontainstwopartswhichisseparatedbyadash.Thelanguageform,whichismadebythisway—halfsentences,iscalledXHY.XHYisaspeciallanguageformpossessingobviousnationalcharacteristic.ThefirstpartofXHYisalwaysavividdescriptionofathinganditisoftenametaphor,likeariddle.Andthesecondpartistheinterpretationorexplanationofthefirstpart,liketheanswertotheriddle.Thewholestructureisfairlynaturalandapropos.Underacertaincondition,youcanexpressyourfeelingorideabysayingthefirstpartandomittingthesecondpart.Andthepeoplewholistentoyoucanalsounderstandwhatyoumeanbythisway.SothisisreasonwhypeoplecallitXiehouyu.1.2EnglishDenominationsofXHYTherearemanyEnglishdenominationsofXHY.Thebest-knownversionisXHY(Xiehouyu),translateddirectly.ThereasonwhythisversionspreadswideisthatXHYiseasilytorememberandtowrite.ItremainsthecharacteristicofChineseculture,aswell.Also,thereareotherversions.Forexample,two-partallegoricalsaying,whichshowthemeaningandthestructureoftheXHYwell,atwo-partcommonexpression,whichistranslatedaccordingtoitsstructure,andChineseFolkWisecrack,whichistranslatedaccordingtoitsmeaning.1.4SummaryInconclusion,XHYistwo-partallegoricalsaying,ofwhichthefirstpartisafigureofspeech,describingthephenomenon,whilethesecondpartisaninterpretation,explainingwhatthefirstpartmeans.Andpeoplecanuseittoexpresstheirfeelingsandopinionsvividly. Chapter2TheOriginOfXHYTracingalongthediachronicapproachtoXHY,mostofscholarsthinkthatthefirstappearanceofthename--XiehoudatesbacktoTangDynasty(618-907AD).As《旧唐书.郑綮列传》refers,“ZhengWuXiehouti”(“郑五歇后体”)wasakindofformofearlyXHY.Likewise,LiYu(李渔清)oncecommentedon“ZhengWuXiehouti”inhis《闲情偶寄·词曲上·格局》sayingthat“上半部之末出……宜作郑五歇后，令人揣摩下文，不知此事如何结果。”However,whatistheoriginofXHY?Uptonow,thereisnoconsensusofopinionsofwhereXHYcomesfromduetothelackofconclusivedocumentation.However,itsoriginstillcanbetraceable(甘洁盈2009).Tillnow,thereexistmanyopinionsoforiginofXHY.2.1TheopinionoforiginatingfromChineseproverbsThefirstopinionisthatXHYisakindofChineseProverb.HuangbelievesthatXHYisaspecialdevelopedformoftheChineseProverbs，justdifferingfromthosenormalonesinsomeaspects．XHYhavebeenconsideredasabranchofChineseProverbsbeforetheygainedtheirownindependentnameandstatus.Onlyinthisviewpointcantheybeclassifiedinto“aspeciallydevelopedformofChineseProverbs."(黄华节，见温端政，2000).2.2Theopinionoforiginatingfromtheso-called“originalXHY”ThesecondopinionisthatXHYcomesfromtheso-called“original”or“standard”typeofXHY.AndthiskindofXHYwaslaterdevelopedintotwoothertypes:Xiehou-CangCiYu(歇后藏词语)andallegorical-explanationsayings(说明式歇后语/譬解语).2.3OtheropinionsabouttheoriginofXHYTherearesomeotheropinionsofXHY.IntheearlyQingDynasty,ZhaiHaoinTheCompilationofPopularConsumptionclaimsthatXHYoriginatesfromfeng-renverseofTangDynasty,whoseconstructingarrangementresemblesXHY’sintroduction-explanationrelation.(张激波,2009).Exceptforthesimilarstructure,feng-renversealsousespunswidely.Thus,feng-renverseisconsideredtobethepredecessoroftheXHYandhavetheprofoundinfluenceonthebirthofXHY.Furthermore,somescholarshypothesizethattheoriginofXHYrootsintheChineseliteraturetraditionofmetaphoricalwriting,bywhichauthors’ideasareexpressedthroughmetaphorsandtheirexplanatorynotations;andXHYistheresultoftheconventionalizationofthismetaphor-explanationwritingformat(温端政1985,citedin李升薰2003,和媛媛2005).Still,somelinguistsbelievethatXHYarisesfromancientmythsandliteraryclassicsanditsformandusehasbeengraduallyconsolidatedinChineselanguagehistory（李余葆、梅芳2000,citedin和媛媛2005).However,otherscholarsthinkthatXHY,actingasaformandphenomenonoflanguage,cameintobeingasearlyaspre-Qinperiod.Takingthe《战国策.楚策四》 asexample,itrecordsasentence--“亡羊补牢，未为迟也。”,whichmeansitisn’tlatetomenditafteryoulosethesheep.Obviously,“亡羊补牢，未为迟也。”iswhatwecallXHYnowadays.AlthoughfewXHYwasrecordedinbooksintheancienttime,manyXHYswerespreadamongfolk.Forinstance,《恒言录》recordsthat“千里寄鹅毛，礼物轻情意重，复斋所载宋时谚也。”.ThereisnodoubtthattheseXHYsarestillusedinourlifeandcolorourlife.2.4SummaryInconclusion,XHYiscreatedbasedonpeople"slong-termlivingexperienceandproductionpractice.Withitsconciseform，vividimageandrichimplication，itisjustlyvaluedasthetreasureoftheChineseculture.Withthegradualperfectingofitsformandalongperiodofhistoricaldevelopmentofcontent,XHYnotonlybecomesanimportantpartofcurrentliterature,butalsoplaysanactiveroleinenrichingourdailylife. Chapter3TheCharacteristicsofXHY3.1TheCharacteristicsofXHYAsauniqueChineselinguisticform,XHYhasitsowndistinctcharacteristics.Inthisthesis,we’dliketodiscussXHY’scharacteristicsfromthreedifferentanglesofview,richChineseculture,flexiblestructureandvariedformationinturn.3.1.1RichChineseCultureAsRohsenow(1991)putit,“XHYisubiquitous,vividlyemployingthefullspectrumoftraditionalChinesehistoryandimagery,fromtheloftytothemundane.”TherichandcolorfulChinesecultureXHYisloadedwithisoneofthemostprojectingcharacteristicsXHYpossesses.Take“阿斗式的人物没能耐(ApersonlikeADo——nothavingcapabilities)”asaninstance.DuringthisXHY,peoplecomeacrossafigurenamedADo(阿斗).It’sdifficulttounderstandtheXHYifpeopledon’tknowwhoheis.Actually,ADoisacharacterinthefamousChinesenovelTheRomanceoftheThreeKingdoms,oneofthefourrepresentativetraditionalChinesemasterpieces(theotherthreeareADreamofRedMansions,AllMenAreBrothersandJourneytotheWest).ADoismouldedtobeapersonunabletosucceed,nothavinganyoutstandingtalents,inthenovel.SopeoplecreatesuchaXHYtomocksomebodyincompetent.Notbeingaspecialcase,nearlyeveryXHYcarriestheepitomeofChinesecultureinallranges.It’snotsurprisingbecauseXHYitselfisanindivisiblepartofChineseculture,aswell.3.1.2FlexibleStructureThesecondimportantcharacteristicofXHYistheflexiblestructure.Here,tomakethestatementunderstoodbetter,weadoptWenDuanzheng’stheory(1985),whichdefinesthefirstpartofXHY“introduction”aswellasthesecondpart“explanation”.3.1.2.1TheSame“Introduction”,Different“Explanations”(1)编辑部主任呵呵笑道：“人们都说他是张飞穿针——粗中有细哩!’’(彭新云，1999：332)(2)几句话，把个马连福说得张飞穿针——大眼瞪小眼，后脊背苏苏地冒凉气。(浩然，1974：162)(3)但是潜水员上不着水，下不着地，中间无依靠，全凭浮力，一使劲就东晃西摇，弄得李锁象张飞穿针——有劲无处使。(沈顺根，1974：48)ChancesarethatoneintroductionofXHYisequippedwithoneexplanation.However,duetoXHY’sflexiblestructure,oneintroductionmaymatchmorethanoneexplanationinsomecases.Peoplecanseethispointfromthethreeabove-citedexamples.WhilethethreeXHYssharethesameintroduction,“张飞穿针(ZhangFeithreadsaneedle)”,theycooperatewithtotallydifferentexplanations,basedon differentemphasesontheassociationbetweenthefigureof“张飞”andthegestureof“穿针”.Inexample(1),theXHY,“ZhangFeithreadsaneedle——beingcrudeinmostmattersbutsubtleinsome”,contraststheusualcrudenessofZhangFeiandthesubtlenessofhimwhenhethreadsaneedle,regardedasaskilledtask.Inexample(2),theEnglishversionis“ZhangFeithreadsaneedle一—bigeyesstaringatsmalleyes.”Differentfromtheformerone,thisXHYpaysmoreattentiontothescenewhereZhangFei,knowntoownapairofbigeyes,staresatthetinypinholeinordertothreadaneedle.Inexample(3),theXHYcanbetranslatedinto“ZhangFeithreadsaneedle——notknowinghowtoexerthisstrength.”Asmostpeopleknow,ZhangFeiisamanofsturdybuild.ButthreadinganeedleseemssuchaneatassignmentthatZhangFeiseeksnochancetoexerthisstrength,whichimpliesthediver,ableasheis,can’tdisplayhisabilities.3.1.1.1Different“Introductions”,theSame“Explanation”(1)商鞅变法——自作自受(2)木匠戴大枷——自作自受(3)铁匠戴镣铐——自作自受Contrarytothestructureabove,differentintroductionscanmatchthesameexplanation,too.Becauseofpeople’sdiverselifeexperienceandprofessionalpreference(WenDuanzheng),peoplefromdifferentcommunitiestendtoapplydifferentdialectstoexpressasimilarconcept.Lookatthethreegivenexamples.Tothesameexplanation“tosufferfromone’sownactions”,peoplerespectivelycreatethreedistinctintroductions“ShangYang’sreforminQinState”,“Acarpenteriscaughtbywoodenflail”,and“Ablacksmithishandcuffed”tobringaboutit.3.1.2VariedFormationThethirdcharacteristicwewanttointroduceisthevariedformationofXHY.Inthispart,we’lldividethestatementintotwomainparts,wherethefirstfocusesonvariouspatternsXHYhasandtheothertherhetoricXHYmostlyapplies.3.1.2.1PatternsAccordingtoYuYousan(1994)，XHYcanbedividedintosixbasicpatternsandtwelvecomplexpatterns,takingtheinherentrelationbetweenXHY’sfirstpartandsecondpartintoaccount.Thecomplexpatternsare,inessence,thecombinationofthreeorevenmorebasicpatterns.Inthelightofthis,we’dliketomainlyfocusonthesesixbasicpatternsandonlygiveabriefintroductiontothecomplexpatterns.3.1.2.2BasicPatternsAllinall,thesixbasicpatternsofXHYarerespectivelyUnderstandingType(HuiyiType会意式)，SoundClosenessType(XieyinType谐音式),AdditionandSubtractionType(JiajianType加减式),AnecdoteType(ZhangguType掌故式),ColloquialismTransformationType(SuyuZhuanhuaType俗语转化式),andFolkwayType(MinfengminsuType民风民俗式).Thedetailedinstantiationisasfollows. (1)UnderstandingType(HuiyiType会意式)e.g.骑驴看账本——走着瞧（Ridingadonkeywhilelookingatanaccountbook——goingwhilelooking(waitandsee)）IntheUnderstandingType,theliteralmeaningofXHY’ssecondpartisbasedonthemetaphor,suppositionorphenomenondepictedinthefirstpart,justastheexampleshows.Ridingadonkeywhilelookingatanaccountbookdescribesthegestureofgoingandlookingatthesametime,whichinChinesemeanswaitingandsee.(2)SoundClosenessType(XieyinType谐音式)e.g.狗咬鸭子——呱呱叫(Adogbitesaduck——(theduck)quacks(similartothesoundofsomeonecroaking))UnliketheUnderstandingType,theSoundClosenessTyperealizesitsideasbysimplyconcerningthesoundsproducedbytheeventsortheobjectsappearinginXHY’sfirstpart,ratherthantheinherentlogicalconnectionbetweenthetwoparts.Intheexampleabove,thesecondpartisobtainedbyimitatingtheduck’ssound,whichissimilartothesoundofsomeonecroaking,sothisXHYcanbeusedtosatirizepeoplewholikecroakingalldaylong.(3)AdditionandSubtractionType(JiajianType加减式)e.g.半吊子的一半——二百五(Ahalfoffivehundred——twohundredandfifty(astupidperson))TheAdditionandSubtractionTypeisakindofpatternwherethesecondpartofXHYisgottenthroughthecalculationoffiguresputforwardinthefirstpart.TheXHYaboveservesasatypicalexample,inwhichtwohundredandfiftyisgottenbysubtractingtwohundredandfifty(ahalfoffivehundred)fromfivehundred.InChinese,twohundredandfifty(Erbaiwu,二百五)oftenreferstosomebodywhoisreallystupid.(4)AnecdoteType(ZhangguType掌故式)e.g.牛郎会织女——一年一次（NiulangmeetsZhinv——onceinayear）Asthenamesuggests,AnecdoteTypereferstoapatternwherethefirstpartofXHYstatesanecdotes,includingliteraryquotations,folktales,legendsandsoon,andthesecondpartarrivesatconclusionsonthebasisofthem.TheexamplegivenimpliesatouchinglovestorybetweenNiulang,acowherd,andZhinv,adaughteroftheemperorofheaven.Inthelegend,NiulangandZhinvfallinlovewitheachotherdeeplybuttheirlovemeetsstrongoppositionfromZhinv’parents.Asaresult,theyareforcedtobeapartfromeachotherandonlypermittedtomeetonceinayear.SoissuchaXHYborn.(5)ColloquialismTransformationType(SuyuZhuanhuaType俗语转化式)e.g.项庄舞剑——意在沛公(XiangZhuangperformsthesworddance——aimingatPeiGong’slife)ThiskindofXHYitselfiseitheracompletecolloquialism(includingproverb)oravariantfromcolloquialismswithsomenecessaryadaptations.“项庄舞剑，意在沛公”isalsoanidiom,whichmeansthatsomeonedoessomethingasacoverforhisorherattemptondoinganotherthing.TheXHYisrightadaptedfromit.(6)FolkwayType(MinfengminsuType民风民俗式)e.g.王木匠修猪圈——百口不开(CarpenterWangrepairsthepigsty——keepinghismouthshutandnotsayingaword)ThesecondpartofXHYintheFolkwayTypeisyieldedwithreferencetorelatedfolkwaysorfolk-customs mentionedinthefirstpart.TheexampledescribesafolkphenomenonthatCarpenterWangalwayskeepssilentwhenherepairsthepigsty,basedonwhichaXHYiscreated.3.1.1.1ComplexPatternsAsforcomplexpatterns,asismentionedbefore,theyarethecombinationofthreeormorebasicpatterns.Therearetwelvetypesinall,whichareHuiyiXieyinType(会意谐音式),JiajianHuiyiType(加减会意式),ZhangguHuiyiBpe(掌放会意式),SuyuHuiyiType(俗语会意式),infengminsuHuiyiType(民风民俗会意式),JiajianXieyinType(加减谐音式),ZhangguXieyinType(掌故谐音式),MinfengminsuXieyinType(民风民俗谐音式),SuyuJiajianType(俗语加减式),ZhangguMinfengminsuHuiyiType(掌故民风民俗会意式),SuyuJiajianHuiyType(俗语加减会意式),andSuyuJiajianXieyinType(俗语加减谐音式).3.1.1.2RhetoricOnthebasisofdifferentcriterions,theclassificationofXHYsvariesalot.HerewecategorizeXHYintothemetaphorictypeandthepunningtypeintheaccordancewiththerhetoricitapply.3.1.3.2.1MetaphoricTypeMetaphorisarhetoricthatismostwidelyusedinXHY.XHYinthistypealwayshasthedescriptivefirstpartandtherevealingsecondpart,whichexplainstheintendedmeaningsoftheformerpart.Consideringthedescriptiveformsoffirstpart,themetaphorictypecanbefurtherdividedintothreespecifickinds,thatis,themetaphorofactivities,themetaphorofobjects,andthemetaphoroffigures.Themetaphorofactivitieswieldsactivitiesasdescriptions,soifpeopleknowaboutthepropertiesofactivities,theycanunderstandthemeaningseasily,suchas“小和尚念经——有口无心(Alittlemonkchantsscriptures——withhismouthopenandhismindabsent(promisingwithoutintentionofacting))”.Themetaphorofobjectsusesobjectivethingsasdescriptionssothatpeoplecancatchtheirmeaningsbydetectingthefeaturesoftheseobjects,suchas“水仙不开花——装蒜(Anarcissusdoesn’tbloom——pretendingtobeagarlic(pretendingnottoknow))”.Themetaphoroffigures,asitsnamesuggests,utilizesfiguresasdescriptions,whichrequirestheessentialknowledgeofthefigures,suchas“楚霸王举鼎——力大无穷(TheConquerorXiangYuliftsatripod(anancientcookingvesselwithtwoloophandlesandthreefourlegs)——withamazingstrength)”.3.1.3.2.2PunningTypeWhatthePunningtypefeaturesistheapplianceofpuninXHY’ssecondpart.Itcanalsobeclassifiedfurtherintotwotypes,thehomophonictypeandthehomographictype.Ontheonehand,thehomophonictypemakessubtleuseofpartialtonetorealizetheintendedmeanings,forexample,“和尚的房子——妙（庙）(Amonk’shouse——excellent(atemple)”.As“妙”and“庙”arehomophonesinChinese,both pronouncedas“miao”,peopleaccordinglythinkofthisXHYtoadmiresomebodyorsomethinginanamusingway.Ontheotherhand,thereexistsanotherpunningformcalledthehomographictype.Thehomographictypereferstousinghomographsintheexplanatorypart(secondpart)toreachtheeffectthatitbothhastheliteralmeaningandtheextendedmeaning.TounderstandsuchXHYaccurately,peopleareexpectedtojudgethecontextscarefullyandcometotheextendedmeaningratherthanonlystayattheliteralmeaning.Lookatthisexample:“阎王爷出告示——鬼话连篇(ThekingofHellputsupanotice——allaboutghosts(awholeseriesoflies)”.InBuddhism,thekingofHellisonewhotakeschargeofghosts,soit’snaturalthatthenoticeputupbyhimallconcernsinghosts,whichdevelopstheliteralmeaning.However,inChinese,“鬼话连篇”canalsobeunderstoodassomeonetellingapackoflies,whichservesastheextendedmeaning.Usingthiskindofpunningskill,peoplecanexpresstheirrealintentionimplicitly(withoutspeakingoutthesecondpart)yetsarcastically.3.2SummaryInthischapter,we’veintroducedthreedistinctivecharacteristicsofXYH,thatis,therichChineseculture,flexiblestructureandvariedformation.ThedexterityofXHY’sstructurebeingconvincing,twokindsofstructureareillustrated.Whenitcomestothevariedformation,wepaymostattentiontoXHY’schangefulpatternsandingeniousapplianceofrhetoric,andrespectivelygiveillustrationtoeachpart.Throughthischapter,wesincerelyhopethatreaderscangoastepfurthertotheXHY. Chapter4ConclusionAttheendofthethesis,we’dliketohelpreaderssortoutthethreadofthewholearticleagainandhaveareviewonthekeypoints.Ingeneral,thethesisismadeupoffourmajorchapters.Thefirstchapter,aimedatleavingreadersaroughimpressiononXHY,isanintroductorypart,offeringsuchbasicinformationasthedefinitionandtheEnglishDenominationsofXHY.Thenfollowsthesecondchapter.Inthesecondchapter,XHYisshowntoreadersfromthehistoricalperspective.Variousopinionsarementioned,amongwhichtwomainargumentsareespeciallypresented,thatis,theargumentoforiginatingfromChineseproverbsaswellastheso-called“originalXHY”.Despitethevariedopinions,whatnearlyeveryonesharesisthatXHY,soakedinthewisdomofChinesefolk,isthecrystallizationofChineseprofoundculture.Next，thethirdchapter,servingasthekeypartinthisthesis,leadsreaderstoadeeperrecognizinglevelofXHY.ThreemaincharacteristicsofXHY——therichChineseculture,flexiblestructureandvariedformation,aresuccessivelydealtwithduringthischapter,respectivelyintheviewofXHY’scontent,structureandformation.TwokindsoftypicalstructureareconcretelyillustratedtoprovetheflexibilityofXHY,andthevariedformationisexpoundedfromsyntacticpatternsandrhetoricalmeans.Finallycomestheconclusion.Inthecurrentsociety,contrarytothecontinuousdevelopmentofeconomyandscience,peoplepaylessandlessattentiontotheChinesetraditionalculture,especiallythetraditionallanguageforms.Inthissense,wechoosetoconcentrateononeofthemostmeaningfulandinterestingChineselanguageitems--XHY,withanattempttoevokepublicawarenesstowardstheprofoundChinesetraditionalcultureandencourageeveryonetotrytheirbesttopromotethedevelopmentofit.