The article discusses China’s efforts to censor online content, particularly puns, memes, and dissent, and the challenges posed by the creative use of language and wordplay. It highlights the cat-and-mouse game between authorities and internet users, with the latter finding ingenious ways to circumvent censorship through wordplay, homophones, and coded language. Experts argue that the government’s attempts to control language and expression are futile, as the internet’s decentralized nature and the fluidity of language make it nearly impossible to completely suppress dissent or alternative narratives. The article suggests that China’s crackdown on online speech may ultimately fail due to the resilience and adaptability of human communication and the internet’s ability to facilitate the spread of coded messages and subversive content.