xiehouyu

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 歇後語／歇后语 (xiēhòuyǔ).

• IPA^(key): /ʃjɛ.hoʊ.(j)u/

xiehouyu (plural xiehouyu)

1. (linguistics) A kind of Chinese proverb consisting of two elements: the former segment presents a novel scenario while the latter provides the rationale thereof. One would often only state the first part, expecting the listener to know the second. Compare English "a stitch in time (saves nine)" or "a bird in the hand (is worth two in the bush)".
   • [1914, Arthur H. Smith, “Puns and Other Linguistic Diversions.”, in Proverbs and Common Sayings from the Chinese‎, New and Revised edition, Shanghai: American Presbyterian Mission Press, →OCLC, pages 248-249:

     All that is necessary for a successful hsieh hou yü is that the characters of which it is composed should have a well known, invariable order. This being presupposed, mere arbitrary sounds in which the characters have no meaning at all, are quite as good as any others. Thus the sounds, chʽih pu leng teng (吃不楞登) represent the noise of beating on a drum, or anything similar, like our ‘rub-a-dub-dub.’ Hence the hsieh hou yü: ‘Light the Ch’ih-pu-leng,’ i.e, teng, Lamp. 點上了吃不楞[燈]]

• “xiehouyu”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.