TongTong
Sign in

哭笑不得 (kū xiào bù dé) — to not know whether to laugh or cry (idiom); both funny and embarrassing

Definition

Idiom for a situation that is so awkward or absurd you don't know whether to laugh or cry. 不知所措 focuses on being at a loss for what to do; 哭笑不得 is more about the mixed funny/embarrassing feeling itself.

phrase
to not know whether to laugh or cry (idiom)both funny and embarrassing

Examples

  • 哭笑不得。
    Tā chū de zhè ge zhǔ yì zhēn ràng rén kū xiào bù dé.
    The idea he came up with really leaves people unsure whether to laugh or cry.
  • ，哭笑不得。
    Nǐ bǎ kā fēi sǎ zài lǎo bǎn shēn shàng, lǎo bǎn de fǎn yìng zhēn shì kū xiào bù dé.
    Your spilling coffee on the boss, and his reaction — it was truly both funny and awkward.
  • ，哭笑不得。
    Kàn dào zì jǐ xiǎo shí hou de zhào piàn, wǒ yǒu diǎn kū xiào bù dé.
    Seeing my childhood photos, I felt a little like laughing and crying at the same time.

Origin

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
吅吅xuānto speak loudly
Sound part声符shēngfú
獄
獄yù哭kū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 哭 showed 吅, loudly, above a long-haired person; that lower part later became dog-like shapes. Later, 哭 was analyzed as 吅 plus 獄 for sound.

Open 哭 →

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
犬犬quǎndog
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.

Open 笑 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.