Chinese homophones

A homophone is two or more words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings, origin, or spelling. There are plenty of homophones in the English language, and since Chinese uses tones to indicate the meaning of the word, there are even more ways to create both spoken and written puns and homophones. Of course, many of these homophones, especially the more humorous ones and those involving numbers have been created by modern day netizens who appreciate slang.

同音异形异义词是指两个或两个以上的词，它们的读音相同，但是意思、来源及外形却不同。英语中有大量的同音异形异义词。由于汉语是通过声调来区分汉字的意思，因此，口语及书面语中的双关语及同音异形异义词就更常见。当然，有很多同音异形异义词，尤其是那些比较幽默的或包含数字的同音词都是由网民创造出来的。这些网民都比较青睐俚语。

Chinese Internet slang

网络俚语

The following words are used purely for fun whilst chatting online. You can just replace the normal meaning with the second to make the subject matter more lighthearted and amusing. 

网络聊天时，以下词汇仅供娱乐。你可以用右边的词代替左边的词，使聊天更轻松、更幽默。

1. 悲剧 杯具 (bēi jù) tragedy/ glass

2. 喜剧 洗具 (xǐ jù) comedy / washing tool

3. 压力 鸭梨 (yā lì / yā lí ) pressure/ white pear

4. 过奖 果酱 (guò jiǎng/ guǒ jiàng) to flatter / jam 

5. 业主 野猪 (yè zhǔ / yě zhū) owner / wild boar

6. 攻击 公鸡 (gōng jī) attack / rooster

Traditional Chinese Homophones 

传统的同音异形异义汉字

There are traditional homophones that share the same pinyin but have different meanings. It's highly unlikely that people conversing could become confused about the words.

汉语中还有有一些传统的同音异形异义词。在交谈的时候，人们一般不会对这些词产生误解。

1. 由于 鱿鱼 (yóu yú) because / squid

2. 丫头 鸭头 (yā tóu) girl / duck head

3. 电源 店员 (diàn yuán) power supplier / clerks

4. 无限 无线 (wú xiàn) infinite / wireless

5. 去世 趣事 (qù shì) pass away (die) / funny thing, interesting story

6. 报复 抱负 (bào fù) revenge / ambition

7. 休养 修养 (xiū yǎng) recuperate / accomplishment, self-cultivation

Chinese Number Homophones

数字谐音词

Some of the number homophones might seem a bit odd and you'll probably think 'that number doesn't sound anything like [insert Chinese character here]', but most of them are interesting and also useful if you chat online. Number homophones are used just like slang amongst Chinese netizens. Here's a short list of some of the most common homophone.

有些数字谐音字看起来可能有点奇怪，因为你可能会觉得那个数字和那个字的音并不像。但是在网络聊天时这些数字却非常有趣也非常实用。对中国网民来说，数字谐音字就和俚语一样。以下是一些常见的数字谐音字：

2 (èr) – 爱 (ài). 2 (èr) sounds a little bit like 爱 (ài)…and 爱 means love, so you can say 521 (wǔ èr yī) or 520 (wǔ èr líng) – I love you. 521 and 520 sounds like 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ).

“2”听起来有点像“爱”，“爱”的意思是love。因此你可以说“521”或“520”表示“我爱你”。“521”或“520”听起来像“我爱你”。

9494 (jiǔ sì jiǔ sì) – 就是就是 (jiù shì jiù shì). 9494 is used to say something like 'For sure!'.

“9494”和“就是就是”谐音，因此“9494”可以用来表示对某件事情很确定。

517 (wǔ yāo qī) – 我要吃 (wǒ yào chī) means 'I want to eat' which sound a bit like the numbers 517 (wǔ yāo qī). In spoken Chinese, the number one becomes 'yāo' which is the same pronunciation as 要 (yào).

“517”听起来像“我要吃”。汉语中，数字“1”也可以念“yāo”，和“要（yào）”的发音一致。

531 (wǔ sān yī) –If you say 531 (wǔ sān yī), it sounds a lot like the Chinese for I miss you '我想你' (wǒ xiǎng nǐ). 

“531”听起来非常像“我想你（wǒ xiǎng nǐ）”。

55555 (wǔwǔwǔwǔwǔ) – crying 呜呜呜呜呜 (wū wū wū wū wū). 

“55555”和“呜呜呜呜呜”谐音。

1314 (yī sān yī sì) – 1314 is used to say 'all my life' since the numbers 1314 (yī sān yī sì) sound like the popular idiom, 一生一世 (yī shēng yī shì).

“1314”可以用于代替成语“一生一世”，因为两者听起来很像。

8 – 不 – Simply, 8 (bā) can be used to say  'no' or 不 (bù).

可以直接用数字“8”表示“不”。

3Q (sānq) – 3 is Chinese is pronounced sān and has a similar pronunciation to thank…

汉语中，数字“3”的读音为“sān”，和英文中的“thank” 读音有点类似。

54 (wǔ sì) – 无视 (wú shì) to ignore, just say 我54你!

“54”谐音无视，你可以说“我54你”。

4242 (sì èr sì èr) – 是啊是啊 (shì a shì a). 4242 is another way of saying yes.

“4242”谐音“是啊是啊”，是表示“肯定”的另一种说法。

Translated from: writtenchinese