嘲笑

• Pinyin: cháo xiào
• Hanzi breakdown: 嘲 = 口 (mouth) + 朝 (phonetic); 笑 = 竹 (bamboo) + 夭 (young)

Meaning

To laugh at; to mock; to ridicule. To express derision through laughter or mocking comments.

More common than 嘲弄 and slightly less malicious. Can range from mean-spirited mockery to dismissive laughter. Very common in everyday speech. Often used with 被 in passive constructions.

Examples

1. 他的口音经常被同学嘲笑。 His accent was often mocked by his classmates.
2. 失败并不可怕，可怕的是害怕被嘲笑而不敢尝试。 Failure isn't scary; what's scary is being too afraid of ridicule to try.
3. 不要嘲笑别人的梦想，每个人都有追求的权利。 Don't laugh at others' dreams; everyone has the right to pursue them.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, interpersonal

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 他被嘲笑后变得更加努力。(After being laughed at, he became even more hardworking.)
• 她从不嘲笑别人的错误。(She never laughs at others' mistakes.)

Don't Say

• 我嘲笑着说谢谢 (嘲笑 has a negative connotation — for laughing while saying something friendly, use 笑着说)

Origin & History

Compound of 嘲 (to mock, ridicule) and 笑 (to laugh). Literally 'mocking laughter.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal