Chinese palindromes

A palindrome is a word or sentence that reads the same backward a forward (in Dutch it’s aptly called a ‘mirror word’). English examples are ‘racecar’, or even whole sentences such as ‘was it a cat I saw?’ or ‘I did, did I?’. There are also Chinese Palindromes, in Chinese Hanzi characters!

In Chinese hanzi, Palindromes are named 回文Huí wén: ’Turn around writing’.

Ancient Chinese palindromes

The earliest forms of what could be considered as a Chinese palindrome could be the circular poem 盘中诗Pán zhōng shī (Pan poem) by 苏伯玉妻 (Su Boyu’s wife) in the Han dynasty (the year 206 to 220) — but it’s not possible to read this both ways so it’s not a real palindrome. (Start from the word 山Shān (mountain) in the middle.)

Then there’s the poem on 璇玑图Xuánjī tú (Star Gauge) by 苏蕙 (Su Hui), which can be read forward or backwards, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. (Read it here.)

Yet some of the oldest recorded (and famous) Chinese palindromes are from the sixth century, when 老子 (Laozi) wrote the lines:

• “为无为，事无事，味无味。”
• “Wéi wúwéi, shì wú shì, wèi wúwèi.”
• “Doing with no intention; working with no motive; experiencing with no emotion.”

As well as:

• “信言不美，美言不信。”
• “Xìn yán bù měi, měi yán bùxìn.”
• “Trustable words are not beautiful, beautiful words do not believe.”

In the 11th century, 苏轼 wrote poems that could be read backward and forwards, such as:

• 小巷残月凝天空，亲人故土乡情浓。
  笑声犹在空怀旧，憔心客愁满苍穹。
  穹苍满愁客心憔，旧怀空在犹声笑。
  浓情乡土故人亲，空天凝月残巷小。
• Xiǎo xiàng cányuè níng tiānkōng, qīnrén gùtǔ xiāngqíng nóng.
  Xiào shēng yóu zài kōng huáijiù, qiáo xīn kè chóu mǎn cāngqióng.
  Qióngcāng mǎn chóu kè xīn qiáo, jiù huái kōng zài yóu shēng xiào.
  Nóng qíng xiāngtǔ gùrén qīn, kōng tiān níng yuè cán xiàng xiǎo.
• The waning moon in the alleys condenses the sky, and the love of the relatives’ hometown is strong.
  The laughter is still empty and nostalgic, and the sky is full of melancholy guests.
  The sky is full of melancholy, and the old nostalgia is still laughing.
  Passionate to the native land, old folks, and small alleys with the moon in the sky.

List of Chinese palindromes

Sometimes these palindromes ‘cheat’ a bit, sometimes the character is the same but the pronunciation different (e.g. 地 ‘de/di’), sometimes the pronunciation is the same but the character different (e.g. 百/伯).

• 自我突破，突破自我。
• Zìwǒ túpò, túpò zìwǒ.
• Break through yourself, break through yourself.

 

• 改变的环境影响人类的活动，活动的人类影响环境的改变。
• Gǎibiàn de huánjìng yǐngxiǎng rénlèi de huódòng, huódòng de rénlèi yǐngxiǎng huánjìng de gǎibiàn.
• The changed environment affects human activities, and human activities affect the changes of the environment.

 

• 牙刷刷牙
• Yáshuā shuāyá
• Brush teeth (with a) toothbrush

 

• 地拖拖地
• De tuō tuō dì
• Mop the floor (with a) mop

 

• 茶煲煲茶
• Chá bāo bāo chá
• Teapot makes tea

 

• 关公公关
• Guāngōng gōngguān
• Public relations (are) relations in public

 

• 气喘喘气
• qìchuǎn chuǎnqì
• Asthma (causes) gasping for air

 

• 口罩罩口
• kǒuzhào zhào kǒu
• Facemask covers the mouth

 

• 百老汇内会老伯
• Bǎilǎohuì nèi huì lǎobó
• Old man in Broadway

 

• 落雨食嘢食乳酪
• Luò yǔ shí yěshí rǔlào
• Falling Rain Food and Cheese

 

• 伍佰卖唱卖佰伍
• Wǔbǎi màichàng mài bǎi wǔ
• Five hundred sings and sells five hundred

 

• 财爷食菜食椰菜
• Cái yé shí càishí yē cài
• The wealthy lord eats vegetables

 

• 大家乐柠乐加大
• Dàjiā lè níng lè jiā dà
• Everyone happy, lemon increases happiness

 

• 黄山落叶松叶落山黄
• Huángshān luòyè sōng yè luòshān huáng
• The fallen leaves on Mount Huangshan are yellow

 

• 天上龙卷风卷龙上天
• Tiānshàng lóngjuǎnfēng juǎn lóng shàngtiān
• The tornado in the sky waves like the dragon god

 

• 船上女子叫子女上船
• Chuánshàng nǚzǐ jiào zǐnǚ shàng chuán
• The woman on the boat asks her children to board the boat

 

• 人人为我、我为人人
• Rén rén wéi wǒ, wǒ wéi rén rén
• All for me, I am for all

 

• 好像对我说，说我对象好
• Hǎoxiàng duì wǒ shuō, shuō wǒ duìxiàng hǎo
• Seems to tell me that I am a good partner

 

• 小明说这说明少
• Xiǎomíng shuō zhè shuōmíng shǎo
• Xiao Ming said that this explains little

 

• 喜欢的少年是你，你是年少的欢喜
• Xǐhuān de shàonián shì nǐ, nǐ shì niánshào de huānxǐ
• The teenager I like is you, and you are the joy of youth

 

• 上海自来水来自海上，中山诸罗茶罗诸山中，山东落花生花落东山，花莲喷水池水喷莲花。
• Shànghǎi zìláishuǐ láizì hǎishàng, zhōngshān zhū luō chá luō zhū shānzhōng, shāndōng luòhuāshēng huā luò dōngshān, huālián pēnshuǐchí shuǐ pēn liánhuā.
• Shanghai’s tap water comes from the sea, Zhongshan Zhuluo tea Luo Zhushan, Shandong peanut flower fall in Dongshan, Hualien fountain spray lotus.

 

• 国美送货送美国
• Guóměi sòng huò sòng měiguó
• Gome (company) delivery to the United States

 

• 国泰飞机飞泰国
• Guótài fēijī fēi tàiguó
• Cathay Pacific plane flies to Thailand

 

• 投石用石头
• Tóushí yòng shítou
• Sling stone uses stone

 

• 鱼生系生鱼
• Yú shēng xì shēng yú
• Fish raw fish

 

• 曹操嘅操嘈
• Cáocāo kǎi cāo cáo
• Cao Cao (historical figure) is frustrated

 

• 上水居民居水上
• Shàng shuǐ jūmín jū shuǐshàng
• Residents in Sheung Shui

 

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