Abstract：As one of the spoken language activities of human beings，folk riddles are often presented by means of allusions or words for people to guess. Unlike lantern riddles，folk riddles originated very early，but they have been neglected for a long time. Folk riddles began to germinate in the Spring and Autumn Period. Before the Song Dynasty，they were mainly used to insinuate political and social situations，and later became a national game gradually. During the Song Dynasty， business riddles and lantern riddles developed rapidly， while folk riddles did not mature until the Ming Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty witnessed a great development of riddles based on the achievements in previous generations. Nowadays， with the rise of folklore studies， the collection and collation of folk riddles has achieved initial success. In terms of artistic features， folk riddles are characterized by different expression techniques，diverse language forms， and ingenious conception， so they are popular among the public， thereby widely spreading. In terms of cultural value， folk riddles， as a language game， boast rich interest and knowledge， which could not only enlighten people’s wisdom， train their thinking ability， but also enrich their daily life and broaden their horizons. More importantly， the various knowledge contained in folk riddles is also the carrier of regional culture and expression of people’s common memory， which has great social and cultural value.
高忠严. 中国民间谜语的源流特征与文化价值[J]. 华中师范大学学报（人文社会科学版）, 2019, 58(6): 187-192.
Gao Zhongyan. Chinese Folk Riddles： The Origin & Development Characteristics and Cultural Value. journal1, 2019, 58(6): 187-192.
2019, Vol. 58 
