搞笑

• Pinyin: gǎo xiào
• Hanzi breakdown: 搞 = 手 + 高 (hand + high — to do, handle); 笑 = 竹 + 夭 (bamboo + young — laugh, smile)

Meaning

To be funny; to make people laugh; comical or intentionally humorous in a light-hearted and often exaggerated way.

A colloquial term popular in contemporary Chinese internet culture and entertainment. Can describe a person (这个人很搞笑), a situation, or content (搞笑视频 — comedy video). Sometimes used with mild irony to mean something is so absurd it's laughable.

Examples

1. 这个脱口秀演员以夸张的肢体动作和出乎意料的包袱著称，每次登台都能让全场捧腹大笑。 This stand-up comedian is known for exaggerated body language and unexpected punchlines, and every time he takes the stage he has the whole room laughing.
2. 会议上他一本正经地念错了领导的名字，全场顿时陷入一种既尴尬又搞笑的微妙气氛之中。 At the meeting, he very seriously misread the leader’s name, and the room instantly fell into a subtle atmosphere that was both awkward and funny.
3. 这部搞笑短片在社交媒体上迅速走红，上线不到二十四小时便积累了过亿次的播放量。 This comedy short went viral on social media, racking up over a hundred million views in less than twenty-four hours after it went live.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment, social media, comedy, everyday

Tone: light-hearted

Do Say

• 他的发言本来是认真的，但那个停顿卡得实在太妙，反而显得格外搞笑，台下笑声不断。(His speech was meant seriously, but the pause was so perfectly mistimed that it ended up being hilariously funny — laughter from the audience never stopped.)
• 这段搞笑视频剪辑了一整年各大新闻发布会上的口误合集，看得人喷饭不止。(This comedy video compiled a full year of slip-of-the-tongue moments from major press conferences — utterly impossible to watch without bursting out laughing.)

Don't Say

• 你今天的汇报很搞笑 — unless said with clear good humour, this can come across as dismissive; use 幽默 or 有趣 in professional settings

Origin & History

搞 (to do/engage in, colloquial) + 笑 (laugh/smile)

Cultural Context

Era: Contemporary

Generation: Younger generations

Social background: Universal