哄堂大笑

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: hōng táng dà xiào
• English Translation: The whole room bursting into laughter
• Idiom Composition: 「哄」（To clamor, make an uproar, or many people making noise together.）＋「堂」（A hall or large room; here it represents the entire audience or group present.）＋「大」（Great, loud, or grand.）＋「笑」（To laugh.）
• Meaning: A situation where everyone present in a room or hall bursts into loud laughter simultaneously. It describes a sudden, explosive, and collective reaction to something funny or unexpected.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「哄堂大笑」 contains the following nuances:

• Collectivity: This idiom requires a group reaction. It is not used for one or two people laughing, but for a 'full house' or 'entire assembly' reacting together.
• Explosive Reaction: It refers to a sudden burst of laughter triggered by a specific moment, rather than a slow spread of amusement.
• Volume and Energy: As indicated by the character 哄 (hōng), which means clamor, this is a loud, boisterous laugh that fills the room, not a quiet chuckle.

3. Usage

「哄堂大笑」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Entertainment and Public Speaking: Commonly used in comedy shows, speeches, or performances when a joke lands perfectly and the entire audience reacts at once.
  • Example:「相声演员的一个包袱抖出来，引得台下观众哄堂大笑。」
    （When the cross-talk performer delivered the punchline, the audience burst into a roar of laughter.）
• Classroom or Workplace Mishaps: Used to describe a moment when a slip of the tongue or a funny mistake breaks the tension and makes everyone laugh.
  • Example:「老师不小心穿反了衣服进教室，惹得同学们哄堂大笑。」
    （The teacher accidentally walked into the classroom with his clothes on inside out, causing the students to erupt in laughter.）

Additional Examples:

1. 他的幽默回答让原本严肃的会议室里爆发出一阵哄堂大笑。
   （His humorous answer caused the previously serious meeting room to break out in a fit of laughter.）
2. 看到小丑滑稽的表演，孩子们忍不住哄堂大笑。
   （Seeing the clown's funny performance, the children couldn't help but burst into laughter.）
3. 虽然是个低级错误，但大家并没有恶意，只是一阵哄堂大笑罢了。
   （Although it was a basic mistake, no one meant any harm; the whole room just erupted in laughter.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• The idiom originates from the Tang Dynasty (唐朝) text Records of Conversations (因话录 - Yīn Huà Lù). It describes a rule in the Censorate (御史台 - Yù Shǐ Tái) where officials were forbidden from speaking during meals, except when a specific junior official laughed, at which point the whole room was allowed to join in without punishment.
• In Chinese culture, the 堂 (táng) or 'hall' represents a formal or public space. Achieving 哄堂大笑 (hōng táng dà xiào) in such a space suggests a powerful shared emotion that breaks through formal barriers.
• While usually positive or neutral, the idiom can occasionally be used in a negative context to describe a group of people mocking someone's failure.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 捧腹大笑 (pěng fù dà xiào): To laugh while holding one's belly; focuses on the physical intensity of an individual's laughter.
  • 前俯后仰 (qián fǔ hòu yǎng): To rock back and forth with laughter; describes the physical movement caused by intense amusement.
  • 前仰后合 (qián yǎng hòu hé): To rock back and forth, often from laughter.link
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 鸦雀无声 (yā què wú shēng): So quiet that not even the sound of a crow or sparrow can be heard; absolute silence.link
  • 泣不成声 (qì bù chéng shēng): To be so choked with sobs that one cannot speak; the height of sorrow.

6. Summary

The idiom 哄堂大笑 (hōng táng dà xiào) is used to describe the atmosphere of an entire space being filled with laughter. While terms like 捧腹大笑 (pěng fù dà xiào) focus on an individual's physical reaction, this idiom emphasizes the 'collective response' of a group, capturing the moment a crowd is unified by amusement.