Chinese word

耻笑

Pronunciation

Pinyinchǐ xiào

Meaning

  • verbmake fun of

Example

他在课堂上当众耻笑我。tā zài kè táng shàng dàng zhòng chǐ xiào wǒ

He made fun of me in front of the class.

Illustration for 耻笑 (make fun of)

More examples

虚假的报道使他成为众人耻笑的对象，随后他采取了法律手段。xū jiǎ de bào dào shǐ tā chéng wéi zhòng rén chǐ xiào de duì xiàng suí hòu tā cái qǔ le fǎ lǜ shǒu duàn

False reports made him an object of public ridicule, and he then took legal action.

Core concept

Laughter used as a social weapon that lowers another person and exposes that person to shame.

Common phrases

  • 遭到耻笑zāo dào chǐ xiào

    be ridiculed

  • 被媒体耻笑bèi méi tǐ chǐ xiào

    be ridiculed by the media

Similar words

嘲笑cháo xiào: To laugh at someone or something with clear contempt and treat it as foolish.
讥笑jī xiào: To mock someone with sarcastic or scornful laughter.
嘲弄cháo nòng: To humiliate someone by taunting them through words or behavior.
取笑qǔ xiào: To tease someone and turn them into an object of laughter.

Definition in Chinese

以轻蔑或嘲弄的态度对他人笑，使对方感到羞辱。yǐ qīng miè huò cháo nòng de tài dù duì tā rén xiào shǐ duì fāng gǎn dào xiū rǔ

Word origin

The compound 耻笑 (chǐxiào, "to ridicule") joins 耻 (chǐ, "shame") and 笑 (xiào, "laugh"), presenting laughter as an act that brings shame on its target.

Usage tips

  • The verb describes a purposeful act, so an accidental laugh at an awkward moment does not by itself fit this word.

Other meanings

  • ridiculenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word