Featured📅 7/28/2026👁️ 2 views

Learn Chinese: Tricky Wordplay Riddle & Salary Talk

Interactive Transcript

wèi
shén
me
hái
gěi
zhǎng
gōng
a
Why haven't I gotten a raise yet?
lián
zhì
shāng
kǎo
dōu
tōng
guò
zhǎng
shén
me
gōng
You can't even pass the IQ test, what raise do you expect?
yǒu
tōng
guò
míng
míng
shì
de
tài
nán
le
hǎo
I didn't fail! Your questions were clearly too hard, okay?
de
tài
nán
hǎo
zài
gěi
huì
zhè
gěi
chū
zhū
dōu
néng
huí
de
wèn
néng
shàng
jiù
My questions are too hard? Alright, I'll give you another chance. This time, I'll ask a question even a pig could answer. If you get it right, I'll double your salary.
hǎo
Okay.
zài
zhè
zhāng
zhǐ
de
bèi
miàn
xiě
le
sān
shuō
shì
sān
I wrote three characters on the back of this paper. What are they?
dàn
chǎo
fàn
Egg fried rice.
duì
Wrong.
gōng
bāo
Jigongbao.
duì
Wrong.
lǎo
tāng
Old duck soup.
jiù
zhī
zhī
dào
chī
ma
dōu
gēn
shuō
le
shì
sān
de
All you ever think about is food! I told you it's three characters!
cāi
chū
I... I can't figure it out.
āi
āi
āi
āi
āi
zhè
me
jiǎn
dān
dōu
cāi
chū
lái
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't even figure out something that simple?!
a
nán
dào
zhēn
de
zhū
hái
Huh, am I really dumber than a pig?
shì
ma
yào
nǎo
Yep, you sure are. You need a brainwash.
ò
ò
shì
zuì
bàng
de
yǒu
gāo
zhì
shāng
shì
zuì
bàng
de
yǒu
Oh, oh. I'm the best, I have a high IQ. I'm the best, I have a high IQ. Again!
.
.
.
.
.
.
zhè
jiù
zhǔn
You... you're ready just like that?
zhǔn
bèi
hǎo
le
zài
I'm ready, hit me.
zài
zhè
zhāng
zhǐ
de
bèi
miàn
xiě
le
sān
shì
sān
I wrote three characters on the back of this paper. What are they?
sān
Three characters.
duì
Wrong.
a
shì
shuō
sān
de
Huh, didn't you say it was three characters?
duì
a
sān
Yes, but *which* three characters?
sān
a
Three characters!
duì
Wrong.
a
Huh?
děng
xià
shì
gěi
gǎi
le
Hold on, did you change the question?
gěi
zēng
jiā
diǎn
nán
zhè
xiě
le
I upped the difficulty a bit. This time I wrote 'four characters'.
a
zěn
me
zhè
yàng
What, why would you do that?
a
Huh?
shuō
hǎo
sān
zěn
me
xiě
a
zhè
shì
méng
We agreed on 'three characters', so why 'four characters'? Aren't you just fooling me?
méi
yǒu
méng
ya
xiě
de
jiù
shì
sān
I didn't trick him! What I wrote *was* 'three characters'!
gāng
gāng
míng
míng
shuō
de
shì
a
But you just said it was 'four characters'!
duì
a
Exactly!
shǎ
le
ma
shì
bu
shì
yòu
kuáng
quǎn
bìng
Are you an idiot? Did you get rabies again?
méi
yǒu
a
No.
gān
ma
kuài
sān
kuài
Then why are you saying 'three characters' one minute, and 'four characters' the next?
shuō
de
běn
lái
jiù
shì
sān
ma
The 'four characters' I mentioned *are* three characters.
zěn
me
néng
shì
sān
ne
How can 'four characters' be three characters?
duì
a
lǎo
hái
shì
kuài
Yeah, boss, you should really go get a shot.
shén
me
zhēn
méi
bìng
shén
me
zhēn
jiù
shì
What shot? I'm not sick, why would I get a shot? My 'four characters' *are* 'three characters'!
yào
néng
shì
sān
de
huà
de
gōng
gěi
If your 'four characters' can be 'three characters', I'll give him my salary.
lǎn
de
gēn
chě
kàn
zhè
shì
bu
shì
sān
I'm too lazy to argue with you, just look for yourself. Aren't these 'four characters' *actually* three characters?
kàn
zhe
gān
ma
hēng
hái
shí
ne
shén
jīng
bìng
a
a
Why are you looking at me? Hmph, I could write 'ten characters' too! Are you crazy?! Ah, dududududu.

Key HSK Vocabulary

Word Pinyin Meaning HSK Action
工资 gōng zī pay, salary HSK 3
老大 lǎo dà old, very HSK 7
懒得 lǎn de to be unwilling to do something HSK 7
可不是 kě bu shì right, exactly HSK 7
考核 kǎo hé examine, check up HSK 5
明明 míng míng obviously, plainly HSK 5
难度 nán dù difficulty, degree of difficulty HSK 3
简单 jiǎn dān simple, uncomplicated HSK 3
本来 běn lái original HSK 3
就是 jiù shì exactly, precisely HSK 3
增加 zēng jiā add, raise HSK 3
可能 kě néng possibility HSK 2
刚刚 gāng gang just, only HSK 2
机会 jī huì chance, opportunity HSK 2
的话 de huà if, in case HSK 2
这样 zhè yàng so, such HSK 2
问题 wèn tí question, problem HSK 2
真的 zhēn de really, truly HSK 1
知道 zhī dào know, realize HSK 1
回答 huí dá answer, reply HSK 1

That moment when you hear "wages rising again?!" – whether it's good news for you or a headache for management, it’s a universal feeling! daihoo perfectly captures this relatable workplace dynamic in their engaging Chinese skit, '又要涨工资?!'.

This video isn't just a laugh; it's a fantastic way to learn natural conversational Chinese. Pick up authentic phrases and expressions you can immediately use in real-life office discussions, making your Mandarin sound truly native.

Video Overview

This comedic skit features an employee trying desperately to convince their boss to give them a raise. The boss challenges their intelligence with a seemingly simple riddle: identify three characters written on a paper. What starts as a straightforward task quickly spirals into a hilarious and frustrating wordplay battle, as the boss cleverly uses the phrase '三个字' (three characters) both as the instruction and the answer, leading to utter confusion and a test of wits (or lack thereof) for the employee.

✨ Dialogue Highlights

又要涨工资?!
Yòu yào zhǎng gōngzī?!
Another raise?! / You want another raise?!

This phrase perfectly encapsulates the recurring tension between employers and employees regarding salary increases. It's highly relatable in any workplace context, often delivered with a mix of exasperation (from the boss) or a subtle hint of "here we go again" (from employees discussing it), making it useful for discussing workplace issues.

先别提钱,咱们谈谈理想。
Xiān bié tí qián, zánmen tán tán lǐxiǎng.
Let's not talk about money first, let's talk about ideals.

This is a classic humorous and often sarcastic line used by employers or superiors to deflect salary discussions. It highlights the common dynamic where companies try to motivate employees with "ideals" or "passion" rather than immediate financial compensation. It's a great phrase to understand workplace rhetoric and subtle humor.

Grammar Notes

📌 我哪有...明明是...
Used to strongly deny an accusation or statement about oneself, often followed by shifting blame or correcting the misconception with '明明是' (míngmíng shì), meaning 'clearly it's' or 'obviously it's'.

我哪有生气,明明是你不理我!

Wǒ nǎ yǒu shēngqì, míngmíng shì nǐ bù lǐ wǒ!

How could I be angry? Clearly, it's you who ignored me!

📌 A 你都 B
This structure expresses surprise, disappointment, or incredulity at someone's inability to perform a task, especially when the task (A) is considered very simple. '都' (dōu) emphasizes the extent of their inability.

这么近的路你都迷路了?

Zhème jìn de lù nǐ dōu mílù le?

You even got lost on such a short path?

📌 A 怎么可能是 B 呢?
Used to express strong disbelief or skepticism, questioning the possibility of something being true. '怎么可能' (zěnme kěnéng) means 'how could it be possible', and '呢' (ne) adds a questioning tone.

他怎么可能是老师呢?

Tā zěnme kěnéng shì lǎoshī ne?

How could he possibly be a teacher?