The typical format of such "gray jokes" or Chinese black humor usually starts with a shared experience and ends suddenly with a twist or punch line. Compared with its English counterpart, a Chinese tweet is less constrained in terms of space because the limit of 140 characters is usually enough for telling a good joke. More significantly, Chinese life plagued by social inequality and corruption has become a rich source of satire, and many funny situations have arisen from the colossal, chaotic side of social change unfolding in China.

As a sign of public anxiety over rampant corruption, a widely circulated joke goes like this: A television journalist asks a migrant laborer on the street: "What do you think about the new, serious anti-corruption measures this year?" The worker replies: "You mean the past measures were only for fun?"

In comparison, off-color jokes that can shock and surprise readers are usually limited to close friends and couples because they risk making people uncomfortable and can even attract lawsuits for sexual harassment.

The fact that many such jokes are part of folklore with anonymous collective authors also contributes to their popularity. Some have different versions because anybody can try to improve their setup and punch lines before they are reposted on the Web.

But the tolerance by regulators is generally considered the key factor to the fast proliferation of the "gray jokes" that often thrive on being irreverent. Sociologists believe the jokes can function as a safety valve to ease social tensions.

Most agree that Chinese people's penchant for black humor will subside only when they find greater harmony in society and their life is less messy and arduous.

If you want to send a joke, send one that helps people see the funny element even in something that does not appear funny.

The writer is editor-at-large of China Daily. E-mail: dr.baiping@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 05/25/2013 page5)