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说笑 (shuō xiào) — to chat and laugh; to joke

Definition

说笑 (shuōxiào) is a separable verb meaning 'to chat and laugh' or 'to joke around' — keep the negative 不说笑 as one block. It describes light, casual social fun, not serious humor or a formal talk.

verb
to chat and laughto joke

Examples

  • 说笑。
    Kāi huì de shí hou bú yīng gāi shuō xiào.
    One shouldn't chat and laugh during a meeting.
  • 说笑，。
    Tā ài shuō xiào, zǒng shì ràng dà jiā kāi xīn.
    He loves to joke, always making everyone happy.
  • 说笑。
    Tā men yì biān chī fàn yì biān shuō xiào.
    They chatted and laughed while eating.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

说shuōtalk
笑xiàolaugh

说 means talk and 笑 means laugh, so together they mean joke or chat cheerfully.

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 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì說shuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 說 pairs 言 (meaning) with 兌 (sound); the simplified 说 is not the form described here.

Open 说 →

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 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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