英语导游小笑话： 戴隋同 Dai Sui Tong

Dai Sui Tong
Mandarin Chinese Joke

Jokes often depend on word plays that are specific to the language used, and this is particularly true of Mandarin Chinese jokes. Because of the large number of Mandarin Chinese homonyms, many Mandarin Chinese jokes are based on mixing up these homonyms. As such, they are impossible to translate into English, but intermediate to advanced students can use jokes to gain insight into the Mandarin language and Chinese culture, while expanding their vocabulary.

The following joke is presented in Chinese characters, pinyin romanization, a literal English translation, and finally an explanation. It is about a student called 戴隋同 (Dài Suí Tóng).

Traditional Characters
某高中學校學生名叫戴隋同。
某日，訓導處某位老師向全校廣播：
「高二同學，戴隋同到訓導處來。」
結果十分鐘後，訓導處前擠滿了帶著大小水桶的同學，還有人在問：「要不要裝水啊？」

Simplified Characters
某高中学校学生名叫戴隋同。
某日，训导处某位老师向全校广播：
「高二同学，戴隋同到训导处来。」
结果十分钟后，训导处前挤满了带着大小水桶的同学，还有人在问：「要不要装水啊？」
 
Pinyin
Mǒu gāozhōng xuéxiào xuésheng míngjiào Dài Suí Tóng.
Mǒu rì, xùn dǎo chù mǒu wèi lǎoshī xiàng quán xiào guǎngbō:
"Gāo èr tóngxué, Dài Suí Tóng dào xùn dǎo chù lái."
Jiéguǒ shífēn zhōng hòu, xùn dǎo chù qián jǐ mǎn le dài zháo dàxiǎo shuǐtǒng de tóngxué, háiyǒu rén zài wèn, "Yàobu yào zhuāng shuǐ a?"

Literal Translation
There was once a high school student named Dài Suí Tóng.
One day, a teacher in charge of discipline used the intercom to broadcast this message:
"Secondary High students, Dài Suí Tóng to the office of discipline."
Ten minutes later, many students appeared outside the office of discipline with water buckets. One of them asked, "Do we have to put water in the buckets?

Explanation
The name of the student 戴隋同 (Dài Suí Tóng) sounds like 帶水桶 (dài shuǐtǒng), which means "bring a water bucket".