Definition
冷嘲热讽 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) made of two contrasting pairs: 冷嘲 (cold mockery) and 热讽 (hot satire). It means to attack someone with biting, sarcastic words — often indirect and cutting — rather than with direct insults. The 'cold' and 'hot' are metaphorical, not literal. You can use it as a fixed expression (mostly as a verb phrase or adverbial) to describe harsh verbal criticism that is full of sarcasm.
f.e.
to mock with biting sarcasmbitter and sarcastic remarks
Examples
- 冷嘲热讽，。Tā shòu bù liǎo tóngshì de lěng cháo rè fěng, zhōngyú cízhí le.He couldn't stand his colleague's biting sarcasm and finally resigned.
- 冷嘲热讽，，。Miàn duì lěng cháo rè fěng, tā zhǐshì xiào le xiào, méiyǒu shuōhuà.Faced with the sarcastic remarks, she just smiled and said nothing.
- 冷嘲热讽。Zhè piān wénzhāng chōngmǎn le duì xiànshí de lěng cháo rè fěng.This article is full of bitter satire about reality.
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