Chinese riddles

yīkǒu一口yǎo咬diào掉niú wěiba牛尾巴

One bite takes off the cow’s tail.

liǎng两gè个yuèliang月亮

Two moons.

rì日yuè月yī一qǐlái起来

The sun and the moon come together.

qiānlǐ千里xiāngféng相逢

A thousand li meet.

shí十zhāngkǒu张口，yī一kē颗xīn心

Ten mouths, one heart.

rén人zài在cǎomù草木zhōng中

A person among grass and trees.

èr二rén人tǔ土shàng上zuò坐

Two people sit on the earth.

yī一rén人zàinèi在内

One more person inside.

ménnèi门内yǒu有kǒu口

A mouth inside the door.

yī一rén人yī一zhāngkǒu张口，kǒu口xià下zhǎng长zhī只shǒu手

One person, one mouth, and under the mouth grows a hand.

zìdà自大yīdiǎn一点

Self, big and one dot.

wáng王xiānsheng先生bái白xiǎojie小姐zuò坐zài在shítou石头shàng上

Mr Wang and Miss Bai sit on a stone.

má麻wūzi屋子，hóng红zhàngzi帐子，lǐmiàn里面zhù住zhe着gè个bái白pàngzi胖子

A rough house, red curtains, and a little white fatty living inside.

qiān千tiáo条xiàn线，wàn万tiáo条xiàn线，diào掉dào到shuǐ水li里kànbujiàn看不见

A thousand threads, ten thousand threads; they fall in the water and vanish.

hóng红gōngjī公鸡，lǜ绿wěiba尾巴，yītóu一头zuān钻dào到dì地dǐxia底下

A red rooster with a green tail dives head first under the ground.

dìxiong弟兄qībā七八gè个，wéi围zhe着zhùzi柱子zuò坐，dàjiā大家yī一fēnshǒu分手，yīfu衣服dōu都chě扯pò破

Seven or eight brothers sit around a pillar; when they part, their clothes all tear.

yǒu有miàn面méiyǒu没有kǒu口，yǒu有jiǎo脚méiyǒu没有shǒu手，suī虽yǒu有sì四zhī只jiǎo脚，zìjǐ自己bùhuì不会zǒu走

It has a face but no mouth, feet but no hands; it has four feet but can’t walk.

shēnchuān身穿lǜ绿yīshang衣裳，dù肚li里shuǐwāngwāng水汪汪，shēng生de的zǐr子儿duō多，gè个gè个hēi黑liǎn脸táng膛

Dressed in green, full of water inside, with many children, every one with a black face.

tóu头dài戴hóng红màozi帽子，shēnchuān身穿bái白páozi袍子，zǒulù走路xiàng像gōngzǐ公子，shuōhuà说话shēn伸bózi脖子

A red hat, a white robe, walks like a young lord and stretches its neck to talk.

xiǎoshí小时chuān穿hēiyī黑衣，dà大shí时chuān穿lǜ绿páo袍，shuǐ水li里guòrìzi过日子，ànshàng岸上lái来shuìjiào睡觉

Dressed in black when small and in green when grown; it lives in the water and sleeps on the bank.