Definition
起哄 (qǐ hòng) means a crowd joining together to heckle, jeer, or create a noisy disturbance, often targeting a performer or a person in a playful or sarcastic way. It differs from 闹事 (nào shì), which is a broader 'cause trouble' without the specific heckling or crowd element, and from 骚乱 (sāo luàn), which implies a more violent riot. The verb is separable: you can say 起什么哄 or 起哄起来.
verb
to heckleto jeer (at a performer or speaker)to join a crowd in making a disturbanceto create an uproar
Examples
- 起哄，。Guānzhòng zài tái xià qǐ hòng, yǎnyuán hěn gāngà.The audience heckled from below the stage, and the actor was very embarrassed.
- ？Tāmen jǐ gè zài pángbiān qǐ shénme hòng?What are those guys making a fuss about over there?
- 起哄，。Bié gēnzhe xiā qǐ hòng le, nà shì rénjiā de shì.Stop blindly joining in the ruckus — that's their business.
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