Pun is a rhetorical device, which uses phonetic or semantic conditions to make sentences have double meanings, thus producing the effect of saying one thing and doing another. Generally, there are two kinds: one is homophonic pun. Make a word or sentence a pun by using the condition of homonym or similar pronunciation. This is the naming method of some characters in the above-mentioned Dream of Red Mansions. Another example is Mao Zedong's poem "Answer to Li Shuyi": "I lost my pride, Yang Jun lost my willow, and the willow went straight to the sky". The word "willow" literally refers to catkins, but actually refers to two martyrs, Yang Kaihui and Liu Zhigou, and their loyal souls. Here, the author skillfully uses puns to praise the lofty revolutionary spirit of the two martyrs implicitly and affectionately. In folk songs, ballads and two-part allegorical sayings, there are many homophonic puns. Common allegorical saying: green onion mixed with tofu-one green (clear) and two white, nephew playing lanterns-according to uncle (old).
The second is semantic pun. A pun consisting of two related meanings of a word or sentence. In the eighth episode of A Dream of Red Mansions, Daiyu mocked Baoyu and Baochai. Baoyu wanted to drink cold wine, but Baochai tried to dissuade him, saying that drinking cold wine would hurt his health, so Baoyu "put down the cold wine and told people to drink it while it was hot." When Daiyu saw it, she said with a pun, "Who told you to send it?" ? Don't disturb him. -Where is it? Daiyu listened and said, "Thanks to you, you listened to him. "。 You turn a deaf ear to what I tell you on weekdays; How can you do as he says, faster than the imperial edict! "On the surface, Daiyu was complaining about the maids, but in fact she was satirizing Baoyu and Baochai. . Another example is a sentence in "My Uncle Mr. Lu Xun": "Do you think it is dark all around and it is not easy to hit the wall? "In the phrase" darkness ",on the surface, it refers to dim light, but in fact it refers to that time. The darkness of society. On the surface, "hitting a wall" is desperate, but in fact it is a metaphor for frustration, attack and persecution.
Pun can kill two birds with one stone if used properly, which is subtle and intriguing. Tang Xianzong has always liked Liu Gongquan's calligraphy. In a chat, Xian Zong asked Liu Gongquan, "Why do you write so well?" Liu Gongquan replied meaningfully: "If you care about your heart with a pen and your heart is right, then your brushwork is right." Xianzong's attitude is more casual, but after listening to Liu Gongquan's answer, his expression immediately became serious. He thought silently that Liu Gongquan was talking about calligraphy on the surface, but in fact his real intention was to persuade me to govern the country with calligraphy.
Puns must be clear, not too obscure. Readers must be able to understand its meaning naturally according to their own life experience and context. Otherwise, it will inevitably lead to ambiguity and confusion.