因为价格的缘故(笑话，译文）

因为价格的缘故【1】(笑话，译文）

译自德文by me，英语由Gemini proofread过。

 

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】.

 

因为价格的缘故

我：马戏团里有三头大象：布布，碧碧和克劳斯。一头象必须被卖掉，它太贵了。卖哪头好些？

你: 布布？

我：不好。

你：碧碧？

我：不好。

你：那克劳斯?

我：对了。但是为什么？

你：不懂。

我：因为价格的缘故【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为什么这是笑话的缘故。解释见下面的A, B, 和C。

A。 按照deepseek的说法，

笑话解析：
这个笑话利用了德语谐音双关：

• 大象名字"Klaus"（克劳斯）与德语短语"wegen der Kosten"（由于成本原因）中的"Kosten"（成本）发音相似

• 当被问及为什么卖Klaus时，回答"wegen der Kosten"听起来既像"因为成本"又像"因为克劳斯"，形成语音双关

• 这种谐音梗制造了意外效果：看似在解释成本原因，实际上是通过名字谐音玩文字游戏

典型德式冷幽默，通过语言本身的发音特点制造笑点，需要一定的德语语音知识才能完全领会其妙处。

B。按照chatgpt的说法，这篇短文是德语里双关语（pun）的笑话，因为克劳斯(Klause)和价格（kosten）发音相似。

 

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，这个故事是一个笑话是因为克劳斯也许是一个人。

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.