卖关子说书人说长篇故事在说到紧要关节处中止借以吸引听众继续往下听。比喻在紧要关头故弄玄虚以挟制对方。英keep people guessing; stop a story at climax to keep the listeners in suspense; suspension;一种修辞手段用来使听者处于悬念状态不知下文如何分解或如何作出推
关子在解决困难或分歧时起决定性作用的。英master key;苏州评弹、扬州评话等称书目中矛盾冲突尖锐或情节紧张、生动的部分为关子。抓住关子使听众莫测人物命运和故事结果产生悬念,谓之“卖关子”英most intriguing plot in a play; climax of a drama or novel;