There are many two-part allegorical sayings in Chinese language which have strong oral characteristics. As a kind of oral creation of the general public, the two-part allegorical sayings are spread from mouth to mouth. As a result, one of the features of the two-part allegorical sayings is the oral characteristic. First of all, the oral style is reflected in the meanings which are easy to understand. When choosing the words for the two-parts allegorical sayings, people often use the ordinary words which are frequently used in the daily life. For some examples, 小孩子放鞭炮——又喜又怕and芝麻开花——节节高.

The oral style of two-part allegorical sayings is also indicated in some local characteristics. The communication scope and function of the oral Chinese are not as standardized as those in the written Chinese. The oral expressions with different local features are used in different places, making it of obvious characteristics of the local places. Therefore, there are many dialect words in the two-part allegorical sayings. Teachers in Mandarin learning courses would tell you that there are also many allegorical sayings in written Chinese in modern China. They are widely used in the literary works.

Another characteristic of the two-part allegorical sayings is the interestingness. Since it is produced in the oral language environment and is used in the oral language, it is interesting naturally. In addition, the large quantity usage of the analogy is the result of full imagination of the general public. Comparing with the proverbs, the two-part allegorical sayings bring much positive feeling because it is the language from the jokes and daily life and also some ironical words. The former part of most sayings is the thing or situation that has nothing to do with the intention. But it would be very profound when the latter part is added.

Of course, such kind of saying also has the feature of duality, which is to say, the literary meaning is one thing but another important thing is implied in the saying. Therefore, some students who study in intensive Mandarin course in China may find the saying is still proper even though the former part is removed. What’s more, the two-part allegorical sayings are very flexible. The form of the saying can be changed properly as long as the meaning remains the same. You can say both韩信带兵——多多益善and韩信带兵——越多越好.