苦笑 (kǔ xiào) — to force a bitter smile; to give a wry laugh (o…

Definition

苦笑 is a bitter, helpless smile when you feel sad, disappointed, or resigned — different from a real laugh (笑) or a polite smile.

verb

to force a bitter smileto give a wry laugh (often in resignation or disappointment)

苦笑，。
Tā kǔ xiào le yí xià, shén me yě méi shuō.
He gave a bitter smile and said nothing.
，苦笑。
Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā zhǐ néng kǔ xiào.
After hearing this news, she could only force a bitter smile.
，苦笑。
Miàn duì shī bài, tā kǔ xiào zhe yáo le yáo tóu.
Facing failure, he shook his head with a bitter smile.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

A 笑 that is 苦 is a forced, bitter smile.

Characters in this word

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

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.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

艸

艸cǎo笑xiào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early 笑 used the grass 艸 for the sound and the dog 犬 for the meaning; later it was written with 竹 and 夭.

Appears in