THE INKLINGO LANGUAGE GUIDES
20 Chinese Riddles With Answers, Pinyin & Translations
Try twenty attested Chinese riddles, from simple food comparisons to character puzzles and five literary lantern riddles. Each has Mandarin pinyin, an original English translation, a hint and an explained answer. The anonymous versions are documented in native reference sources; the literary puzzles come from chapter 22 of Dream of the Red Chamber.
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- 麻屋子，红帐子，里面住着个白胖子。A rough-fiber house, a red curtain, and a plump white fellow living inside.
- 兄弟七八个，围着柱子坐，大家一分手，衣服就扯破。Seven or eight brothers sit around a post. As soon as they separate, their clothes tear.
- 脱了衣服见头发，拨开头发就见牙。Take off its clothes and you see hair; part the hair and you see teeth.
- 有头无颈，有眼无眉，有尾无毛，有翅难飞。It has a head but no neck, eyes but no eyebrows, a tail but no fur, and wings that hardly fly.
- 像云不是云，像烟不是烟，风吹轻轻飘，日出慢慢散。It looks like cloud but is not cloud, looks like smoke but is not smoke; wind makes it drift gently, and sunrise makes it slowly disperse.
- 一口咬掉牛尾巴。One mouth bites off the cow’s tail.
- 十个哥哥。Ten elder brothers.
- 大姐树上叫，二姐吓一跳，三姐拿砍刀，四姐点灯照。The eldest sister calls from a tree; the second leaps in fright; the third carries chopping blades; the fourth lights a lamp.
- 猴子身轻站树梢。A light-bodied monkey stands at the tip of a branch.
- 阶下儿童仰面时，清明妆点最堪宜。游丝一断浑无力，莫向东风怨别离。As children below the steps lift their faces, it makes a fitting decoration for Qingming. Once its floating thread breaks, it is utterly powerless; do not blame the east wind for the separation.
Easy Chinese Riddles About Food
Begin with visible clues: a shell, a skin, seeds and stalks. These anonymous folk riddles compare ordinary food with people, houses and clothes.
麻，帐子，住着个胖子。
Má wūzi, hóng zhàngzi, lǐmiàn zhùzhe ge bái pàngzi.
A rough-fiber house, a red curtain, and a plump white fellow living inside.
Easy
Source note个，围着柱子，大家一分手，扯破。
Xiōngdì qī bā ge, wéizhe zhùzi zuò, dàjiā yī fēnshǒu, yīfu jiù chěpò.
Seven or eight brothers sit around a post. As soon as they separate, their clothes tear.
Easy
Source note脱了见，拨开就见牙。
Tuōle yīfu jiàn tóufa, bōkāi tóufa jiù jiàn yá.
Take off its clothes and you see hair; part the hair and you see teeth.
Easy
Source note盘卧，夏天枝叶开；须向上，珍珠向下排。
Dōngtiān pánlóng wò, xiàtiān zhīyè kāi; lóngxū xiàng shàng zhǎng, zhēnzhū xiàng xià pái.
In winter a coiled dragon lies still; in summer branches and leaves unfold. Its whiskers grow upward, while pearls line up below.
Intermediate
Source note皮着珍珠，颗颗珍珠有骨头，不能来不能，滋滋来酸溜溜。
Huáng pí bāozhe hóng zhēnzhū, kēkē zhēnzhū yǒu gǔtou, bù néng chuān lái bù néng dài, tiánzīzī lái suānliūliū.
Yellow skin wraps red pearls. Every pearl has a bone. You cannot string them or wear them; they taste sweet and tangy.
Intermediate
Source note丝蚕，，人，巢蜂。
Yǒu sī méiyǒu cán, yǒu dòng méiyǒu chóng, yǒu sǎn méiyǒu rén, yǒu cháo méiyǒu fēng.
There are threads but no silkworm, holes but no insect, an umbrella but no person, and a nest but no bee.
Intermediate
Source noteExplore these words: Colors (flashcards) · Clothes (flashcards) · Food & cooking (flashcards)
Put these words into context with a story at your level.
Read Chinese storiesChinese Animal and Nature Riddles
A body part, a movement or a sound may identify the answer. The four-sisters puzzle asks for four creatures, while the final riddle describes the weather.
有无颈，有眼无眉，有尾无，有翅难飞。
Yǒu tóu wú jǐng, yǒu yǎn wú méi, yǒu wěi wú máo, yǒu chì nán fēi.
It has a head but no neck, eyes but no eyebrows, a tail but no fur, and wings that hardly fly.
Easy
Source note大姐上，二姐吓一跳，姐拿砍刀，四姐照。
Dàjiě shù shàng jiào, èrjiě xià yī tiào, sānjiě ná kǎndāo, sìjiě diǎn dēng zhào.
The eldest sister calls from a tree; the second leaps in fright; the third carries chopping blades; the fourth lights a lamp.
Intermediate
Source note小小诸葛亮，稳军中帐，布下八卦阵，捕飞虎将。
Xiǎoxiǎo Zhūgě Liàng, wěn zuò jūn zhōng zhàng, bùxià bāguà zhèn, bǔzhuō fēihǔ jiàng.
A tiny Zhuge Liang sits calmly in a military tent, lays out an intricate battle formation, and captures flying tiger-generals.
Intermediate
Source note有位姐又，公春雷，故居就在屋檐，为增春色满飞。
Yǒu wèi xiǎojiě hēi yòu hēi, lái shí tiāngōng fàng chūnléi, gùjū jiù zài wūyán xià, wèi zēng chūnsè mǎn tiān fēi.
A very dark young lady arrives when heaven sounds the spring thunder. Her old home is under the eaves, and she fills the sky with flight, adding to the spring scene.
Intermediate
Source note云不是云，不是，吹飘，日出散。
Xiàng yún bù shì yún, xiàng yān bù shì yān, fēng chuī qīngqīng piāo, rì chū mànmàn sàn.
It looks like cloud but is not cloud, looks like smoke but is not smoke; wind makes it drift gently, and sunrise makes it slowly disperse.
Easy
Source noteExplore these words: Nature & landscape (flashcards) · Food & cooking (flashcards) · Weather (flashcards)
Put these words into context with a story at your level.
Read Chinese storiesChinese Character Riddles and Wordplay
These answers are written characters. Look at the shape or combine a component with another character. The explanations give the visual steps after you reveal the answer.
一口掉牛。
Yī kǒu yǎodiào niú wěiba.
One mouth bites off the cow’s tail.
Intermediate
Source note个哥哥。
Shí ge gēge.
Ten elder brothers.
Intermediate
Source note凤虎尾。
Fèng tóu hǔ wěi.
A phoenix’s head and a tiger’s tail.
Hard
Source note有行千里，有能养鱼，有人不是你我，有土能种谷物。
Yǒu mǎ xíng qiān lǐ, yǒu shuǐ néng yǎng yú, yǒu rén bù shì nǐ wǒ, yǒu tǔ néng zhòng gǔwù.
With a horse it travels a thousand li; with water it can raise fish; with a person it is neither you nor me; with earth it can grow grain.
Hard
Source noteExplore these words: Animals (flashcards) · Quantities & measurements (flashcards) · Numbers (flashcards)
Put these words into context with a story at your level.
Read Chinese storiesLiterary Chinese Lantern Riddles
Five puzzles appear together in chapter 22 of Dream of the Red Chamber. The characters in the novel supply the answers. These short literary riddles range from a sound pun to poetic descriptions of festival objects.
猴子身站树梢。
Hóuzi shēn qīng zhàn shùshāo.
A light-bodied monkey stands at the tip of a branch.
Intermediate
Source note身自端方，体自坚。虽不能言，言必应。
Shēn zì duānfāng, tǐ zì jiānyìng. Suī bù néng yán, yǒu yán bì yìng.
Its form is upright and square, its body hard. Although it cannot speak, it always responds when there are words.
Intermediate
Source note能使妖魔胆尽摧，身如束帛气如雷。一声震得人方恐，回首相化灰。
Néng shǐ yāomó dǎn jìn cuī, shēn rú shù bó qì rú léi. Yī shēng zhèn de rén fāng kǒng, huíshǒu xiāng kàn yǐ huà huī.
It can shatter demons’ courage; its body is like bundled silk, its force like thunder. One blast has just frightened everyone, and when they turn to look, it has already become ash.
Hard
Source note运人功理不穷，有功无运也难逢。因何镇日纷纷乱，只为阴阳数不同。
Tiān yùn rén gōng lǐ bù qióng, yǒu gōng wú yùn yě nán féng. Yīn hé zhènrì fēnfēn luàn, zhǐ wèi yīnyáng shù bù tóng.
Heaven’s movement and human effort have endless workings; effort without movement is hard to put to use. Why the busy disorder all day long? Because the yin and yang numbers differ.
Hard
Source note阶下儿童仰面时，清明妆点最堪宜。游丝一浑无力，莫向东怨别离。
Jiē xià értóng yǎng miàn shí, Qīngmíng zhuāngdiǎn zuì kān yí. Yóusī yī duàn hún wú lì, mò xiàng dōngfēng yuàn biélí.
As children below the steps lift their faces, it makes a fitting decoration for Qingming. Once its floating thread breaks, it is utterly powerless; do not blame the east wind for the separation.
Hard
Source noteExplore these words: Quantities & measurements (flashcards) · Time & dates (flashcards) · Shapes, sizes & materials (flashcards)
Put these words into context with a story at your level.
Read Chinese storiesPractice Chinese With One Riddle at a Time
- Read the Chinese and pinyin once without opening the answer.
- Choose the literal clues: shape, color, movement or a character component.
- Reveal a hint, make a guess, then check the explanation.
- Listen again and describe the solution in a short sentence of your own.
Chinese riddles: frequently asked questions
What is a riddle called in Chinese?
谜语 (míyǔ) is the general word for a riddle. A character puzzle is 字谜 (zìmí). 灯谜 (dēngmí), literally “lantern riddle,” refers to the festival tradition and often to puzzles involving written meaning, sound or character structure.
Which Chinese riddles are easiest for beginners?
Start with the peanut, corn, fish and mist puzzles. Their clues describe visible things. The character puzzles need knowledge of written components, while the last section uses literary vocabulary.
Do these Chinese riddles include pinyin and English answers?
Yes. Every question and answer has tone-marked Mandarin pinyin and an original English translation. Reveal a hint first if you want help without immediately seeing the solution.
Are these real traditional Chinese riddles?
The fifteen anonymous puzzles are attested in Chinese native reference sources, and five literary riddles appear with solutions in Dream of the Red Chamber. The sources do not establish the first composition date of each anonymous puzzle. These are documented versions, not claims that every wording is ancient or unique to China.
Why do Chinese character riddles not always translate into English?
Their clues often refer to visible strokes and components. A translation can preserve the clue’s meaning but cannot reproduce the construction of a Chinese character. Read the written Chinese and the explanation together.
How are lantern riddles connected with the Lantern Festival?
Riddles are displayed on lanterns or slips of paper for people to solve during festival gatherings. Dream of the Red Chamber depicts the household making and guessing such riddles. The term also describes a tradition of compact wordplay rather than only an object hung on a lantern.
Are the Chinese texts simplified or traditional?
The page uses simplified Chinese and Mandarin pronunciation. Taiwan Historica and the linked novel text use traditional characters; the selected wording is retained while the character forms are converted. The cited source remains available for comparison.
Can a Chinese riddle have another answer?
A loose visual comparison can suggest alternatives. This page supplies the answer printed by its source and explains the intended clues. The four-sisters riddle deliberately has four answers; character puzzles usually target one exact written form.
Make these words part of your day
Explore Chinese stories, listen along, and save vocabulary as you go.
Find a story at your levelSources and verification
English translations and examples were written for this guide. Source notes distinguish documented expressions, original practice sentences, and literary quotations. Literary excerpts retain the language of their original period.
- CCTV, “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4 (2013) — Native explanatory reference reproducing anonymous descriptive and character riddles with explicit answers. Individual composition dates are not established. Selected question wording and printed answers were checked directly.
- Taiwan Historica, Dictionary of Taiwanese Folk Cultural Objects: “Lantern Riddles” — Government cultural dictionary, entry 2408. Includes the spider, cow-tail and ten-brothers riddles and their solutions in traditional characters.
- Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, chapter 22 — Primary literary text: five selected riddles and their stated solutions. Eighteenth-century public-domain Chinese novel; the guide supplies new English translations, not a published translator’s wording.
Source notes for all 20 entries
- 麻屋子，红帐子，里面住着个白胖子。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 兄弟七八个，围着柱子坐，大家一分手，衣服就扯破。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 脱了衣服见头发，拨开头发就见牙。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 冬天盘龙卧，夏天枝叶开；龙须向上长，珍珠向下排。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 黄皮包着红珍珠，颗颗珍珠有骨头，不能穿来不能戴，甜滋滋来酸溜溜。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 有丝没有蚕，有洞没有虫，有伞没有人，有巢没有蜂。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 有头无颈，有眼无眉，有尾无毛，有翅难飞。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 大姐树上叫，二姐吓一跳，三姐拿砍刀，四姐点灯照。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 小小诸葛亮，稳坐军中帐，布下八卦阵，捕捉飞虎将。: Question and solution in Taiwan Historica’s “Lantern Riddles” dictionary entry. Traditional characters converted to simplified characters; wording retained. The entry does not date the individual puzzle. [historica-riddles]
- 有位小姐黑又黑，来时天公放春雷，故居就在屋檐下，为增春色满天飞。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 像云不是云，像烟不是烟，风吹轻轻飘，日出慢慢散。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 一口咬掉牛尾巴。: Question and solution in Taiwan Historica’s “Lantern Riddles” dictionary entry. Traditional characters converted to simplified characters; wording retained. The entry does not date the individual puzzle. [historica-riddles]
- 十个哥哥。: Question and solution in Taiwan Historica’s “Lantern Riddles” dictionary entry. Traditional characters converted to simplified characters; wording retained. The entry does not date the individual puzzle. [historica-riddles]
- 凤头虎尾。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. The answer is a written shape; the common jǐ reading is supplied. [cctv-riddles]
- 有马行千里，有水能养鱼，有人不是你我，有土能种谷物。: Anonymous descriptive or character riddle reproduced with its answer in CCTV’s “Introduction to Riddles,” page 4. This is an attestation, not a claim about its first composition. Wording retained; punctuation normalized. [cctv-riddles]
- 猴子身轻站树梢。: Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, chapter 22: riddle and its solution are both stated in the narrative. Traditional characters converted to simplified characters; punctuation and linebreaks normalized. This is a literary puzzle from the eighteenth-century novel. Jia Mu’s one-line fruit riddle. [red-chamber-22]
- 身自端方，体自坚硬。虽不能言，有言必应。: Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, chapter 22: riddle and its solution are both stated in the narrative. Traditional characters converted to simplified characters; punctuation and linebreaks normalized. This is a literary puzzle from the eighteenth-century novel. Jia Zheng’s object riddle, answered by Jia Mu. [red-chamber-22]
- 能使妖魔胆尽摧，身如束帛气如雷。一声震得人方恐，回首相看已化灰。: Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, chapter 22: riddle and its solution are both stated in the narrative. Traditional characters converted to simplified characters; punctuation and linebreaks normalized. This is a literary puzzle from the eighteenth-century novel. Yuanchun’s four-line riddle. The text uses both 炮竹 and 爆竹 for the answer. [red-chamber-22]
- 天运人功理不穷，有功无运也难逢。因何镇日纷纷乱，只为阴阳数不同。: Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, chapter 22: riddle and its solution are both stated in the narrative. Traditional characters converted to simplified characters; punctuation and linebreaks normalized. This is a literary puzzle from the eighteenth-century novel. Yingchun’s four-line riddle; 镇日 means all day. [red-chamber-22]
- 阶下儿童仰面时，清明妆点最堪宜。游丝一断浑无力，莫向东风怨别离。: Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, chapter 22: riddle and its solution are both stated in the narrative. Traditional characters converted to simplified characters; punctuation and linebreaks normalized. This is a literary puzzle from the eighteenth-century novel. Tanchun’s four-line riddle. The source’s 妆点 is retained rather than silently replaced by 装点. [red-chamber-22]