因為價格的緣故(笑話，譯文）

因為價格的緣故【1】(笑話，譯文）

譯自德文by me，英語由Gemini proofread過。

 

For cost reasons

 

Me: There are three elephants in a circus: Bubu, Bibi, and Klaus. One must be sold because it's too expensive. Which one?

You: Bubu?

Me: No.

You: Bibi?

Me: No.

You: Then Klaus?

Me: Correct. And why?

You: I don't know.

Me: Because of the cost【2】.

 

因為價格的緣故

我：馬戲團裏有三頭大象：布布，碧碧和克勞斯。一頭象必須被賣掉，它太貴了。賣哪頭好些？

你: 布布？

我：不好。

你：碧碧？

我：不好。

你：那克勞斯?

我：對了。但是為什麽？

你：不懂。

我：因為價格的緣故【2】.

 

【1】. p.64. Aus Kostengründen. Dr. Wagner. Learn German through Jokes Lachen und Lernen. Ernest Publications. 2025.

【2】。我查了deepseek, chatGPT 和 grok為什麽這是笑話的緣故。解釋見下麵的A, B, 和C。

A。 按照deepseek的說法，

笑話解析：
這個笑話利用了德語諧音雙關：

• 大象名字"Klaus"（克勞斯）與德語短語"wegen der Kosten"（由於成本原因）中的"Kosten"（成本）發音相似

• 當被問及為什麽賣Klaus時，回答"wegen der Kosten"聽起來既像"因為成本"又像"因為克勞斯"，形成語音雙關

• 這種諧音梗製造了意外效果：看似在解釋成本原因，實際上是通過名字諧音玩文字遊戲

典型德式冷幽默，通過語言本身的發音特點製造笑點，需要一定的德語語音知識才能完全領會其妙處。

B。按照chatgpt的說法，這篇短文是德語裏雙關語（pun）的笑話，因為克勞斯(Klause)和價格（kosten）發音相似。

 

Why it’s a joke

The humor comes from a pun:

• The phrase "aus Kostengründen" means for cost reasons (because it’s too expensive).

• But here, the elephant named Klaus sounds very similar to "Klaus-t" → which plays with the word Kosten (costs).

• So the punchline is: Klaus must go “wegen der Kosten” (because of the costs), but it’s also a wordplay suggesting that Klaus himself is linked to the word Kosten.

It’s a classic example of a dad joke / Wortspiel (pun) in German: the setup makes you think it’s a financial reason, but the real "reason" is just the similarity in sound between Klaus and Kosten.

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Let’s break down how a German speaker hears this pun:

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1. The setup

• The elephants are called Bubu, Bibi, and Klaus.

• When you hear “aus Kostengründen” (“for cost reasons”), your brain expects a serious answer: one elephant costs too much.

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2. The pun

• The name Klaus in German is pronounced [klau?s] (like clouse in English).

• The word Kosten (“costs”) is pronounced [?k?stn?].

They don’t sound identical, but in quick everyday speech the words Klaus and Kosten create a sound echo: both start with K and have a strong stressed syllable.
So when the punchline comes —

„Wegen der Kosten.“ (Because of the costs.)

— the listener’s brain connects Kosten ↔ Klaus, because the elephant’s name seems to be the “reason” itself.

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3. Why it’s funny to Germans

• It’s not logical: Klaus isn’t more expensive than the others.

• The whole point is the fake logic:

  • We have to sell Klaus… why?

  • Because of the Kosten.

• The humor is in the circular reasoning and the punny sound similarity.

It’s the German equivalent of an English dad-joke pun, like:

Which dog costs the most?
A golden retriever — because of the gold.

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C。按照grok的看法，這個故事是一個笑話是因為克勞斯也許是一個人。

grok explains:

 

Explanation of the Joke:

The humor arises from a play on words and an unexpected twist. Initially, the conversation sets up a logical scenario where one of the elephants (Bubu, Bibi, or Klaus) must be sold due to financial constraints ("cost reasons"). The question "Which one?" and the subsequent guesses (Bubu, Bibi, Klaus) lead the reader to assume the decision is based on economic factors, such as which elephant is the most expensive to maintain.

The punchline comes when the speaker reveals the reason for choosing Klaus is "because of the elephant," which seems redundant since all three are elephants. The joke hinges on the ambiguity: "Klaus" sounds like a human name, and the twist suggests that Klaus might not be an elephant at all, or that the decision was based on Klaus being the odd one out (perhaps a person mistaken for an elephant). This subverts the expectation that the choice was purely financial, creating a humorous surprise. The absurdity of the final answer adds to the comedic effect.