Xiehouyu (歇後語) dictionary: a searchable collection of ~150 classic Chinese two-part allegorical sayings — setup, revealable punchline, and meaning. 简体 / 繁體 / English. Browser-only, no network.
Xiehouyu Dictionary (歇後語)
How to use
Search by keyword
Type any keyword into the search box — part of the setup (前段, e.g. 黄鼠狼), the punchline (後段, e.g. 各显神通), or a word from the meaning. The list filters as you type.
Browse all entries
With the search box empty, the list shows all ~150 sayings. Scroll through them one by one; each row shows the setup, punchline, and meaning.
Click to read & reveal
Click any entry to highlight it in the card above. Read the setup first (the riddle), guess the answer, then press "Reveal punchline" to see the second part, and finally read the meaning + English gloss.
Saying of the day
Press "Saying of the day" for the date-chosen entry — fixed for the whole day. It is a deterministic pick with no network and no random number.
Xiehouyu (歇後語): China's Two-Part Sayings
A xiehouyu (歇後語, xiē-hòu-yǔ) is a distinctively Chinese form of allegorical saying built from two parts: a setup (前段) that paints a vivid image or scenario — rather like the front of a riddle — and a punchline (後段) that supplies the answer or explanation, like the riddle's solution. In speech, people often utter only the first part and "rest" (歇) the second, trusting the listener to supply it — which is exactly where the name comes from. Say "八仙過海" (the Eight Immortals cross the sea) and a Chinese listener instantly fills in "各顯神通" (each shows their own magic). Say "啞巴吃黃連" (a mute eats bitter coptis) and everyone knows it means "苦楚說不出" — a bitterness one cannot voice. This "leave-half-unsaid" style makes xiehouyu both understated and witty, the liveliest corner of Chinese folk-saying culture.
The two main types
Xiehouyu fall into two broad families. The first is the "metaphor" type (喻意), where the setup draws a picture and the punchline states what it means — "泥菩薩過江——自身難保" (a clay Buddha crossing the river — can't even save itself), or "熱鍋上的螞蟻——團團轉" (ants on a hot pan — running in circles). Here the joy is in seeing how the image and the meaning line up. The second is the "homophone" type (諧音), where the punchline puns on a same- or similar-sounding word — "外甥打燈籠——照舊(舅)" (a nephew with a lantern — lighting up his uncle / carrying on as before), "孔夫子搬家——淨是書(輸)" (Confucius moves house — nothing but books / always losing). Homophone sayings are delightful but depend entirely on Chinese pronunciation, so the pun is usually lost in translation. For that reason every entry here carries an English gloss to help non-Chinese readers grasp the underlying sense.
"Speak half a sentence, and the whole meaning lands." — a xiehouyu uses the setup's image to spark the knowing smile of the punchline.
Why they are worth learning
Xiehouyu distil centuries of folk observation and wit. Many draw on history ("徐庶進曹營——一言不發", Xu Shu enters Cao's camp — not a single word), myth ("八仙過海", the Eight Immortals cross the sea), street life, and animal lore ("黃鼠狼給雞拜年——沒安好心", a weasel pays the chicken a New-Year call — up to no good). Learning them makes one's Chinese richer and more idiomatic, and opens a window onto Chinese humour and cultural psychology. This dictionary holds around 150 of the best-known sayings, with search and browse: look one up by any word in the setup, punchline, or meaning, then click to reveal the second part and enjoy the guess-then-see moment. All data is embedded in the page and runs entirely in your browser — no network, no model calls, no stored input; Simplified and Traditional display is handled by a local converter.
10 Facts about Xiehouyu (歇後語)
The name "歇後語" comes from the habit of saying only the first part and "resting" (歇) the second — the listener fills in the rest unspoken.
There are two main kinds: "metaphor" ones rely on imagery (clay Buddha crossing the river — can't save itself), "homophone" ones on puns (nephew's lantern — lighting the uncle / as before).
Homophone sayings hinge on pronunciation and rarely survive translation: "Confucius moves house — nothing but books (書)" works only because 書 sounds like 輸 (to lose).
Many come from history and novels: "Xu Shu enters Cao's camp — silent" and "Liu Bei borrows Jingzhou — never returns it" both trace to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Animals recur with fixed characters: the weasel is always sly ("New-Year call on the chicken — up to no good"), the rat always "crosses the street and everyone shouts to kill it".
In writing the two parts are joined by a dash "——"; in speech, a brief pause does the "resting" before the punchline.
The "mute" (哑巴) is a stock character, generating many sayings like "suffering one can't voice" and "knows it inside" — all about understanding something yet being unable to say it.
Xiehouyu belong to the family of folk sayings alongside chengyu (idioms) and proverbs, but they alone have the two-part "image-then-answer" structure.
Some carry layered puns: "a monk holding an umbrella — lawless (無法無天)" works both literally (umbrella blocks the sky) and as a pun on 髮/法 (a monk has no hair).
Xiehouyu remain in everyday use across Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and ASEAN Chinese communities — a staple of casual speech, cross-talk comedy, and fiction dialogue.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A xiehouyu is a uniquely Chinese two-part saying: a vivid setup (the riddle) and a punchline answer (the solution). Speakers often say only the setup and "rest" the punchline, trusting the listener to fill it in — hence the name 歇後語.
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A chengyu is usually a fixed four-character phrase, compact and literary. A xiehouyu is a two-part colloquial saying (setup + revealed answer), more everyday and conversational, often with puns and humour. Both are set expressions, but differ in structure and register.
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Type any keyword — from the setup, punchline, or meaning — and the list filters instantly. Click an entry to show it in the card above: read the setup, press "Reveal punchline" for the answer, then read the meaning and English gloss. You can also tap "Saying of the day".
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Homophone punchlines pun on sound: the written word stands in for a same-sounding one. The bracketed word marks the intended pun. E.g. "nephew's lantern — 照舊(舅)": literally "lights the uncle (舅)", punning on 舊 (old) to mean "as before".
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The data is stored in Simplified. In Traditional (zh-TW) mode, the page uses a bundled local OpenCC converter to render Taiwan Traditional on the fly, falling back to the original if the library is absent. English glosses are never converted. It all runs locally — no network.
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No. It computes a fixed index from the current date, so the same day always shows the same saying; it only changes the next day. It is a deterministic pick — no random number and no network.
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Around 150 of the most common, widely-known sayings, all hand-picked and verified. They span both the metaphor and homophone types, drawn from history, myth, street life, and animal lore — good for learning and everyday reference.
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Very much so. Xiehouyu make your Chinese richer and more idiomatic and offer a shortcut into cultural allusions and humour. Every entry has an English gloss, so even without the pun you can grasp the sense. Starting with the metaphor type is usually easier.
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No. All data is embedded in the page; search and browse run entirely in your browser with no server calls, and nothing you type is stored. RECATOOLS enforces zero-tracking + zero-storage.
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Xiehouyu are folk speech, so regional wording naturally varies and a single saying may have several forms with slightly different punchlines. This dictionary uses the most common, widely-circulated version, but encountering other forms in different places or books is perfectly normal.
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