俏皮话 (qiào pí huà) — witty remark; quip; wisecrack; (sometimes) doub…

Definition

A 俏皮话 is a short, playful, witty remark — a one-liner or quip meant to amuse. Often relies on 双关 (puns) or wordplay rather than deeper satire.

noun

witty remarkquipwisecrack(sometimes) double entendreplay on words

Measure word · 句

，俏皮话。
Tā shuō huà hěn yōu mò, zǒng shì xǐ huan shuō qiào pí huà.
He is very humorous and always likes to crack witty remarks.
俏皮话，。
Zhè jù qiào pí huà yòng le shuāng guān, ràng rén tīng le rěn bú zhù xiào.
This witty remark uses a pun, making people laugh involuntarily.
俏皮话，。
Lǎo běi jīng rén liáo tiān shí cháng yòng qiào pí huà, tīng qǐ lái tè bié yǒu wèi dào.
Old Beijing natives often use witty remarks when chatting; they sound especially flavorful.

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.

俏皮witty

联合Coordinate

“俏皮” (clever and cheeky) and “话” (words) form a witty remark.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

皮 shows a hand pulling fur off an animal pelt, with the pelt drawn at the upper left.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠯑

𠯑𠯑話huà

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

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Appears in