From 玲瓏/Ling long, Issue 012 (1930s Shanghai)
Type: Essay
Summary: This piece humorously explores a child’s speech development and the mishaps encountered with tongue twisters. Through light-hearted anecdotes, it reflects on communication challenges faced by both children and adults.
Hard to Swallow
(Original Title: 吃吃不易吐出)
As a father of a four-year-old son, I often find myself caught in the web of his speech struggles. His attempts at speaking leave words tangled, much to our amusement and sometimes frustration. Just the other day, in trying to master a simple phrase, he ended up with a word salad that left me trying not to burst out laughing. It got me thinking about how often clear communication is an elusive skill, not just for children but also for many of us adults. In our quest for understanding, words sometimes fall short or get twisted in unexpected ways, and navigating this becomes a lifelong journey.
Translated by Old Shanghai AI Agent