Riddles and word-puzzles are largely used for the purpose of killing

time, the nature of the written language offering unlimited facilities

for the formation of the latter. Chinese riddles, by which term we

include conundrums, charades, _et hoc genus omne_, are similar to our

own, and occupy quite as large a space in the literature of the

country. They are generally in doggerel, of which the following may be

taken as a specimen, being like the last a word-for-word

translation:--

  Little boy red-jacket, whither away?

    To the house with the ivory portals I stray.

  Say will you come back, little red-coat, again?

    My bones will return, but my flesh will remain.

In the present instance the answer is so plain that it is almost

insulting to our readers to mention that it is "a cherry," but this is

by no means the case with all Chinese riddles, many being exceedingly

difficult of solution. So much so that it is customary all over the

Empire to copy out any particularly puzzling conundrum on a paper

lantern, and hang it in the evening at the street door, with the

promise of a reward to any comer who may succeed in unravelling it.

These are called "lamp riddles," and usually turn upon the name of

some tree, fruit, animal, or book, the direction in which the answer

is to be sought being usually specified as a clue.