Chinese word

笑话

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiào huà

Meaning

  • nounjoke

Example

这只是个笑话，别生气。zhè zhǐ shì gè xiào huà bié shēng qì

This is just a joke, so don't get angry.

Illustration for 笑话 (joke)

More examples

这本书里有很多有趣的笑话。zhè běn shū lǐ yǒu hěn duō yǒu qù de xiào huà

This book has many funny jokes.

Core concept

Words that turn a moment into laughter, whether they form a funny story or poke fun at someone.

Common phrases

  • 讲笑话jiǎng xiào huà

    tell a joke

  • 听笑话tīng xiào huà

    hear a joke

  • 给孩子讲笑话gěi hái zi jiǎng xiào huà

    tell a joke to a child

Similar words

玩笑wán xiào: A playful comment that gently teases or makes a situation less tense.
幽默yōu mò: A funny quality shown in the way someone speaks, writes, or acts.

Definition in Chinese

用言语或短小故事逗别人发笑的事情，常指为娱乐而讲的笑料或段子。yòng yán yǔ huò duán xiǎo gù shì dòu bié rén fā xiào de shì qíng cháng zhǐ wèi yú lè ér jiǎng de xiào liào huò duàn zi

Word origin

In 笑话 (xiàohuà, "joke"), 笑 (xiào, "laugh") describes the effect and 话 (huà, "speech") describes the spoken material, making the compound easy to connect with humorous speech.

Usage tips

  • A friendly joke and teasing can sound different in English, but Chinese uses this word for both, so the situation shows whether the humor is kind or unkind.

Other meanings

  • funny storynoun
  • make fun ofverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word