Abstract:This paper aims at comparing and analyzing two different kinds of humors in China and America. Due to the cultural differences, we do not have a better understanding of the American humor, which will become barriers in communication. To clear away the obstacles caused by humor, this paper illustrates a series of examples and tries to find out the possible causes for the sake of arousing people’s awareness of clearing up the misunderstandings in intercultural communication. 

Key words  humor; difference; misunderstanding

中文摘要:本文旨在对中国式幽默和美国式幽默这两种不同的幽默进行比较和分析。由于文化差异，我们不能很好地理解对方的幽默，在一定程度上会造成交往障碍。为了消除由幽默引起的一些误解，本文对中美幽默的发展史进行比较分析，找出中国式幽默和美国式幽默各自的特点，以及以美国电视剧《老友记》中的一系列幽默为例子，尝试找出造成这些误解的原因，从而唤起人们走出跨文化交际误区的意识，有助于中美两国之间的越来越紧密的跨文化交际。

关键词： 幽默；差异；误解