169/365 — 5 Funny Chinese Tongue Twisters That Will Leave You Question Your Life!
Have you ever come across any Chinese tongue twisters (繞口令, rào kǒu lìng) that made you doubt your linguistic abilities? Beyond the iconic “shi shi shi shi shi” stone-lion twister, here are five well-known tongue twisters ranging from the easiest to the most challenging.
Let me know in the comments which level leaves you question your life!
Level : Fundamental
Short and simple, requiring an understanding of the four tones.
媽媽騎馬，馬慢；媽媽罵馬。
(Māmā qí mǎ, mǎ màn; māmā mà mǎ.)
Meaning: Mom rode a horse; the horse was slow, so Mom scolded the horse.
四十四澀柿子樹下住著四十四隻獅子。
(Sìshí sì sè shìzi shù xià zhùzhe sìshí sì zhī shīzi.)
Meaning: Under forty-four astringent persimmon trees live forty-four lions.
Level : Intermediate
Slightly longer but not too difficult; these two are widely known among natives. Show off in front of your native friends and teachers once you master them!
抱著灰雞上飛機，飛機起飛，灰雞要飛。
(Bào zhe huī jī shàng fēijī, fēijī qǐfēi, huī jī yào fēi.)
Meaning: Holding a gray chicken to board the plane; as the plane takes off, the gray chicken wants to soar.
吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮，不吃葡萄倒吐葡萄皮。
(Chī pútáng bù tǔ pútáng pí, bù chī pútáng dào tǔ pútáng pí.)
Meaning: Those who ate grapes didn’t spit out the grape skins; those who didn’t have grapes spit out grape skins.
Level : Advanced
Ready for a challenge? Even natives struggle with this advanced tongue twister! 😎
有位爺爺他姓顧，
(Yǒu wèi yéye tā xìng Gù,)
There was a grandpa, his surname is Gu,
上街打醋又買布。
(Shàng jiē dǎ cù yòu mǎi bù.)
He went shopping for vinegar and fabrics.
買了布，打了醋，
(Mǎi le bù, dǎ le cù,)
After buying the fabric and the vinegar,
回頭看見鷹抓兔。
(Huítóu kàn jiàn yīng zhuā tù.)
He turned around and saw an eagle catching a hare.
放下布，擱下醋，
(Fàng xià bù, gē xià cù,)
He put down the fabric and the vinegar,
上前去追鷹和兔，
(Shàng qián qù zhuī yīng hé tù,)
Ran forward to chase both the eagle and the hare,
飛了鷹，跑了兔。
(Fēi le yīng, pǎo le tù.)
Both of them fled eventually.
打翻醋，醋濕布。
(Dǎ fān cù, cù shī bù.)
He accidentally knocked over the vinegar, and the vinegar soaked the fabric when he was chasing them.
Even though it’s just a playful tongue twister, you can sense it tells a fable about a greedy man who ends up losing everything. Interesting, eh?
Besides the mentioned tongue twisters, I highly recommend listening to this C-POP song to make the tongue twisters more catchy and memorable:
Have you ever heard or mastered any of these 5, or other 繞口令 rào kǒu lìng?
Feel free to clap or share your thoughts.
