Simplified Chinese:
学生问老师:老师,为什么飞机在天上飞,却从不会撞到星星呢?
老师回答:因为星星会闪。
Pinyin Romanization
Xué shēng wèn lǎo shī : lǎo shī , wèi shén me fēi jī zài tiān shàng fēi ,què cóng bú huì zhuàng dào xīng xing nē ?
lǎo shī huí dá: yīn wèi xīng xing huì shǎn.
English Translation
The student asks the teacher: Teacher, why the planes never run into the stars when flying in the sky?
The teacher answer: Beacuse the stars can dodge.
Explanation:
To get the joke, you need to know the double takes on the meanings of the word 闪 shǎn.
In Chinese, 闪 can mean “a sudden flash of light.” It can also mean “to dodge” ( 闪避 shǎn bì , to dodge quickly).
Vocabulary
ID | Chinese | Trad. | Pinyin | English Definition |
---|---|---|---|---|
ID | Chinese | Trad. | Pinyin | English Definition |
1 | 学生 | 學生 | xuésheng | student; schoolchild |
2 | 问 | 問 | wèn | to ask |
3 | 老师 | 老師 | lǎo shī | teacher; Classifiers: 个 |
4 | 为什么 | 為什麼 | wèi shénme | why?; for what reason? |
5 | 飞机 | 飛機 | fēi jī | airplane; Classifiers: 架 |
6 | 在 | zài | (located) at; (to be) in; to exist; in the middle of doing sth; (indicating an action in progress) | |
7 | 天上 | tiānshàng | in the sky, celestial; heavenly | |
8 | 飞 | 飛 | fēi | to fly |
9 | 却 | 卻 | què | old variant of 却 ; but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline; to retreat; nevertheless; even though |
10 | 从不 | 從不 | cóng bù | never |
11 | 会 | 會 | huì | can; to be possible; to be able to; will; to be likely to; to be sure to; to assemble; to meet; to gather; to see; union; group; association; Classifiers: 个 ) |
12 | 撞 | zhuàng | to hit; to strike; to meet by accident; to run into; to bump against; to bump into | |
13 | 到 | dào | to (a place); until (a time); up to; to go; to arrive; (verb complement denoting completion or result of an action) | |
14 | 星星 | xīng xing | star in the sky | |
15 | 呢 | ne | particle indicating that a previously asked question is to be applied to the preceding word (“What about …?”, “And …?”); particle for inquiring about location (“Where is …?”); particle signaling a pause, to emphasize the preceding words and allow the listener time to take them on board (“ok?”, “are you with me?”); | |
16 | 回答 | huí dá | to reply; to answer; the answer; Classifiers: 个 | |
17 | 因为 | 因為 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
18 | 闪 | 閃 | shǎn | to dodge; to duck out of the way; to beat it; shaken (by a fall); to sprain; to pull a muscle; lightning; spark; a flash; to flash (across one’s mind); to leave behind |