窃笑 (qiè xiào) — to snicker, to chuckle secretly (often used in literary or formal contexts)

Definition

Literary/formal verb for snickering or laughing secretly to oneself — close to 嘲笑 but 窃笑 is covert (laughing up one's sleeve), while 嘲笑 is open and mocking. Always implies the laughter is hidden from the target.

verb
to snickerto chuckle secretly (often used in literary or formal contexts)

Examples

  • ，窃笑。
    Kàn dào tā de zī shì, tā rěn bú zhù qiè xiào qǐ lái.
    Seeing his posture, she couldn't help but snicker.
  • ，窃笑。
    Lǎo shī zài jiǎng yán sù de shì qing, tā què zài nà lǐ qiè xiào.
    The teacher was talking about serious matters, but he was snickering over there.
  • 窃笑。
    Tā duǒ zài jiǎo luò tōu tōu qiè xiào.
    She hid in the corner and snickered secretly.

Origin

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.

窃qièsecretly
笑xiàolaugh

The parts '窃' and '笑' mean secretly and laugh, describing a hidden laugh.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 竊; 窃 is its simplified writing.

  • 米米mǐrice
  • 攴攴pūaction
  • 禼禼xiè

For 窃, the traditional form 竊 combines 米 and 攴 with 禼, which gives the sound.

Open 窃 →

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 →

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