猜谜

• Pinyin: cāi mí
• Hanzi breakdown: 猜 = 犭(animal) + 青, meaning to guess or suspect; 谜 = 讠(speech) + 迷, meaning riddle or mystery

Meaning

To guess riddles; riddle-guessing. The activity of solving puzzles or riddles.

A traditional Chinese entertainment, especially popular during the Lantern Festival when 灯谜 (lantern riddles) are displayed. Can also refer metaphorically to trying to figure out unclear situations or someone's true intentions.

Examples

1. 元宵节的传统活动之一就是猜谜。 One of the traditional activities during the Lantern Festival is guessing riddles.
2. 他说话总是云里雾里的，让人像在猜谜一样。 He always speaks in such a roundabout way, making it feel like you're solving a riddle.
3. 孩子们围在一起猜谜，气氛非常热闹。 The children gathered together to guess riddles, creating a lively atmosphere.

Usage Guide

Context: games, festivals, figurative

Tone: playful

Do Say

• 我们来猜谜吧！(Let's play riddles!)
• 和他沟通就像在猜谜。(Communicating with him is like guessing riddles.)

Don't Say

• 我猜谜他的名字。(For guessing ordinary things, just use 猜 — 猜谜 specifically refers to riddle-guessing)

Origin & History

猜 (to guess) + 谜 (riddle). A verb-object compound describing the activity of solving riddles.

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal