Of the many things you could ban for the benefit of society and the planet, I would put puns near or at the bottom of the list. But don't tell that to the Chinese government, which announced a ban on puns and wordplay from all media earlier this month, saying that they could lead to "cultural and linguistic chaos."

The order came from the State Administration for Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. According to a notice put on their website, puns and wordplay are "contradictory in spirit to the promotion and continuance of excellent, traditional Chinese culture."

They also called for radio and TV heads to increase the regulation of puns and wordplay. Some believe that the enforcement of the cutback on puns might be difficult, especially given that they are a large part of the Chinese language.

The Administration said puns and wordplay are particularly dangerous for children and make it easier to mislead the public.