Chinese and Western humour can often be quite different. Whilst Western humour is often based on sarcasm, Chinese jokes may sometimes be described as \u2018black humour\u2019. When it comes to TV and movies, slapstick is a popular choice, as well as short skits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since Chinese jokes often rely heavily on linguistics, it may sometimes be difficult for non-natives to \u2018get\u2019 a joke, and the same can be said of English jokes for a Chinese native. Sometimes things just get lost in translation! Similarly to how sarcasm is used in the west, jokes in Chinese will sometimes be described as a \u2018cold\u2019 joke. This is a joke that is so bad, it\u2019s not really funny\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditionally, the most common type of humour in China was \u2018crosstalk\u2019, a type of stand up between two people. You can see an example of crosstalk in the video below. Although they speak quite slowly, you can also turn on the English subtitles and follow along!<\/p>\n\n\n