挖苦 (wā ku) — to speak sarcastically, to make cutting remarks | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

挖苦 means to mock or ridicule someone with pointed, sarcastic remarks. Unlike casual teasing (开玩笑), it is intentionally cutting and meant to hurt.

verb

to speak sarcasticallyto make cutting remarks

Examples

挖苦，。
Tā shuō huà zǒng xǐ huan wā ku bié rén, ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
He always likes to make cutting remarks about others, which makes people uncomfortable.
挖苦？
Nǐ gāng cái de huà shì zài wā ku wǒ ma?
Were your words just now sarcastic toward me?
挖苦，。
Tā zuì tǎo yàn bèi wā ku, suǒ yǐ dà jiā dōu bù gǎn luàn kāi wán xiào.
She hates being ridiculed, so everyone is afraid to joke around.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

苦kǔbitterness

From 挖 “dig” and 苦 “bitterness”, the image is digging out bitter feelings in sarcastic remarks.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

古

古gǔ苦kǔ

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Communication & Speech

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