Chapter 30 realm of humor

It is said that Qin Shihuang once expanded his garden so large that it reached Hangu Pass in the east and Fengxiang and Baoji in the west today.Youzhan, a jester in the palace, said: "It's wonderful! Put more animals in it. If the enemy comes from the east, just teach the elk to resist with its horns, that's enough." Qin Shihuang listened to this plan Put it down. Humor, then, is the antidote to the absurd.Euphemistic humor often exaggerates along the absurd logic, making people understand the absurd consequences.Youzhan is like this, Chunyukun and Youmeng are like this, and so is Bao Kehua.There is a proverb in the West, to the effect that: explanation is the Achilles heel of humor, just as humor is the Achilles heel of romance.Bluffing, posturing romance is also a kind of absurdity, and everything that is too unreasonable or too contrary to nature constitutes absurdity.There are two antidote to absurdity: the first is frank accusation, the second is euphemistic irony, and humor belongs to the latter.When to use the former and when to use the latter depends on the mood of the giver and the understanding of the recipient.If you are in a good mood, speak politely; if you are in a bad mood, speak directly.To the wise, speak politely; to the stupid, only speak straight.There are three grades for judging people by their sense of humor.The first class has a gift for humor and can see humor in the absurd.Although the second class cannot create humor, they can more or less appreciate the humor of others.The third class is incapable of even comprehending.The first category is foresight, the second category is hindsight, and the third category is unconsciousness.If the sense of humor is magnetic, the first class is a magnet, the second class is iron, and the third class is a piece of wood.From this point of view, Qin Shihuang can barely be classified as the second class, at least he has appreciated Youzhan's sense of humor.

The third class, though lacking a sense of humor, still contributes a great deal to humor, because they can create absurdity, although they cannot create humor.In this world, if there were no absurd performances by delusional people, wouldn't the wise man's humor lose its basis?Emperor Hui of Jin's sentence "Why not eat minced meat" has caused Chinese people to laugh at it for more than a thousand years.The absurdity of Emperor Hui of Jin arouses our sense of humor: delusional people often sacrifice themselves to make others better without knowing it, and make others' humor better.

Illusion is often a kind of expansion effect, which is equivalent to the mantis' arms serving as a cart, and the snake's desire to swallow an elephant.Humor is a deflationary effect, like a laxative that turns a fat man into a thin man.But humor is not the same as bitterness, because humor is not aimed at the absurd person, but at the absurd itself.A high degree of humor often comes from a high degree of seriousness, and should not be confused with murderousness and resentment.Many people mistake bitterness for humor. In fact, there is only hatred in the light of swords and blood, and there is no humor.Humor is a hot-hearted and cold-handed surgeon who wants to kill the disease, not the patient.

Translating English humour into humor is a stroke of genius.If it is humorous but too explicit and arrogant, the "quiet" and "mo" will be lost.A high degree of humor is an art that pays attention to subtlety, and the stronger the suggestion, the higher the artistry.However, the more suggestive it is, the higher the requirements for the comprehension of the listener or reader will naturally be.Humor is also a kind of genius. The person who speaks humor has a flash of inspiration, and when he opens his mouth, the person who listens to humor must respond quickly to catch it.In this case, the listener's comprehension is close to the "sudden enlightenment" of Zen, and there should be something like Zen in the high-level humor.If the speaker speaks wonderfully, but the listener looks blank, wouldn't it be the most disappointing thing in the world to ask the speaker to explain or repeat it?Therefore, "interpretation is the Achilles' heel of humor".There are two kinds of words in the world that must be understood at once because they cannot be repeated: the first is humorous words, and the second is flattering words.The most ideal and most enjoyable cooperation is that the second-class people in the aforementioned "humorous realm" gather around and listen to the humor of the first-class people: the speaker speaks wonderfully, and the listener enjoys listening to it, and both parties are very satisfied.With other combinations, the effect is quite different.Changing the first-class people to face the third-class people will definitely cause a cold stand, and make the speaker regret that he "threw pearls to pay the pigs in vain".Otherwise, the second-class people face the first-class people and want to entertain everyone, but because their "humor level" is not high enough, they only win a few blunt smiles.What if both the speaker and the listener are first-class people? "Epiphany" is of course not a problem, but the confrontation of words and the competition of wits can easily lead to a tense situation of "humorous competition".In case your tongue is humorous, you just won a burst of very enjoyable laughter, and suddenly the next person's words are of a higher level, use the momentum of your effect just now, soar upwards, and you will get a more enthusiastic response and a more sincere response. Admiration, what is left to you, isn't it a bitter feeling of "second place"?

Humor can be said to be a natural expression of a keen mind when it is full of energy and life.This kind of realm is like flowing clouds and flowing water. You can't cheat, and you can't work hard and prepare in advance.There are absurd things in the world, vain people, witty and natural minds, and they are naturally inexhaustible.The worst thing about humor is formulaicity. For example, when it comes to husbands, you are afraid of your wife, when you talk about professors, you lack common sense, and when you talk about officials, you must scratch the ground.Formulated humor can easily flow into low taste, and like the characters in formulaic novels, they are all products of lack of imagination and observation.I have a distant uncle who has a few formulaic jokes, and those jokes have a loyal audience, his wife.The husband has said over and over for decades, always those few jokes, including Li Hongzhang spitting Han Fuju's lecture, etc., but every time the wife listens to it, it is as funny as when she first heard it, which fully satisfies her husband's desire to publish.Both husband and wife are clearly forgetful and happy.

A truly humorous heart must be rich, generous, open, and tactful.Conversely, a truly humorous mind will never be stubborn, blindly dig into a dead end, or make unreasonable and harsh words.Humor, always in the midst of pitching and fingering, is done calmly, unrestrainedly, and unconsciously: among all arts, humor is the one that is farthest from propaganda. The heroism and humor of "who but me" are insulated.It's better to drag the tail in the paint than leave the bones in the hall; if the phoenix tree doesn't stop, how can the rotten rats fight for it?Zhuangzi's humor is the purest and purest state, and it cannot be mentioned together with ordinary jesters and jokers.A truly humorous mind never looks at people or itself from a fixed angle. He can not only humor people, but also himself. In the ecstasy of my blending, as Qian Zhongshu said, I smiled happily alone.A good scholar with a real sense of humor can often entertain others at the expense of himself, and join others to laugh at himself.Wouldn't it be lovely for a person who creates humor to have his own absurdity?Mr. Wu Bingzhong's language used to hurt people.Once he told me that he should ask his family members to engrave a line of "Excuse my dust" on his ashes after death, and carry them to all his friends to apologize. This is what Mr. Wu said 20 years ago. Wild imagination, I don't know if he still wants to do that now?Although this kind of fantasies is eligible to be included in Ren's Birthday, but in terms of humor, it is higher than those altruistic believers who threatened to donate their ashes as fertilizer.

Other things are often competitive, at least humor is "the heart does not compete".Wouldn't it be ridiculous to be humorous and have to compete?Humor is not a subject of three credits. It cannot be learned in mechanics, but it can only be learned by oneself, so "humor expert" or "humor doctor" is absurd.Humor can't be formulated, let alone professionalized, so the comedian is sad.How nervous is it to be so focused on making people laugh that it becomes your responsibility to entertain others?A little bit of humor that arises spontaneously and does nothing, is like a power plant that supplies power day and night, and the secrets of heaven are reduced to artificial, how boring?Even if the posture is elevated and the master is humorous, it is not humorous enough.There should be debates in the literary world, but the "harmonious forum" cannot be debated.If there was a "humor society", if members fought for the election of "humor director", it would be the greatest absurdity in the world, no, the greatest humor.