每天成语
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哭笑不得

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: kū xiào bù dé
  • English Translation: Not knowing whether to laugh or cry
  • Idiom Composition: 「哭」（To cry or weep (expressing sorrow or pain)）＋「笑」（To laugh or smile (expressing amusement)）＋「不」（Not (negation)）＋「得」（To be able to (indicating possibility or capability)）
  • Meaning: A psychological state where a situation is so ridiculous, troublesome, or ironic that one does not know how to react. It expresses a mix of frustration, exasperation, and amusement.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「哭笑不得」 contains the following nuances:

  • Emotional Dilemma: This idiom describes a reaction to a situation that isn't serious enough to cause real grief or anger, but is too problematic to be dismissed with a simple laugh.
  • Exasperation and Bewilderment: There is a strong nuance of being 'dumbfounded' by someone's lack of common sense or the sheer irrationality of an event.

3. Usage

「哭笑不得」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Mischief from children or pets: Used when someone causes trouble without malice, leaving you in a complex mood where you can't quite scold them.
    • Example:「看到儿子把我的口红涂得满脸都是，我真是哭笑不得。」
      （Seeing my son smear my lipstick all over his face made me not know whether to laugh or cry.)
  • Misguided kindness or misunderstandings: Used when someone means well, but their actions are actually inconvenient or completely off the mark.
    • Example:「朋友送了我一大箱我不爱吃的零食，还要我当面吃给他看，弄得我哭笑不得。」
      （A friend sent me a huge box of snacks I don't even like and insisted I eat them in front of him, which left me at a loss for how to react.)
  • Absurd troubles: Used for unexpected, ridiculous problems where the absurdity outweighs the anger.
    • Example:「小偷进屋没偷到钱，反而留下了两百块钱，这让警察都觉得哭笑不得。」
      （The thief broke in and found no money, but left 200 yuan behind instead; even the police were dumbfounded.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 他那个荒唐的解释让人哭笑不得。
    （His ridiculous excuse left everyone speechless and amused.）
  2. 本来想帮忙，结果越帮越忙，真是令人哭笑不得。
    （I intended to help, but I ended up just getting in the way, which was truly frustrating yet comical.）
  3. 看着这一堆乱七八糟的数据，经理哭笑不得地摇了摇头。
    （Looking at the pile of messy data, the manager shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.）
  4. 这种低级错误发生在一个专家身上，实在让人哭笑不得。
    （It is truly absurd that an expert would make such a basic mistake.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: This phrase is derived from the Yuan Dynasty play The Cobbler's Lies (皮匠说谎; Píjiàng Shuōhuǎng) by Gao Andao (高安道), which mentions being in a state where one 'cannot cry and cannot laugh.'
  • Nuance: It is important to note that 哭笑不得 (kū xiào bù dé) implies an element of 'absurdity.' It is not used for truly tragic events or situations involving deep, serious anger.
  • Usage Frequency: This is a very high-frequency idiom in modern Chinese. It is often used in causative structures like 令人 (lìng rén) or 让人 (ràng rén), meaning 'to make one feel...'

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 哭笑不得 (kū xiào bù dé) describes being caught in a situation that is simultaneously absurd and annoying. It is frequently used when dealing with children's mischief, misguided kindness, or foolish mistakes where one is more dumbfounded than truly angry.

Idiom Essay

kū xiào bù dé
哭笑不得
Not Knowing Whether to Laugh or Cry
shēng huó生活zhōng中，wǒ men我们duì对zì jǐ自己qíng xù情绪de的fǎn yìng反应，tōng cháng通常shì是hěn很zhí jiē直接de的。

In life, our reactions to our emotions are usually very direct.

yù dào遇到kāi xīn开心de的shì事，wǒ men我们huì会xiào笑；yù dào遇到nán guò难过de的shì事，wǒ men我们huì会kū哭。

When we encounter something happy, we laugh; when we encounter something sad, we cry.

kě shì可是，yǒu méi yǒu有没有nà me那么yī zhǒng一种shí kè时刻，ràng让nǐ你kǎ卡zài在le了zhè这liǎng zhě两者zhōng jiān中间？

But has there ever been a moment where you were stuck right in the middle of the two?

nǐ你kàn看zhe着yǎn qián眼前fā shēng发生de的shì qíng事情，jì既jué de觉得wú nài无奈，xiǎng想kū哭；yòu又jué de觉得huāng táng荒唐，xiǎng想xiào笑。

You look at what is happening before you and feel both helpless, wanting to cry, and absurd, wanting to laugh.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常shēng dòng生动de的chéng yǔ成语，zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种gān gà尴尬yòu又fù zá复杂de的xīn lǐ心理，jiào叫“kū xiào bù dé哭笑不得”。

In Chinese, there is a very vivid idiom specifically used to describe this awkward and complex state of mind called 哭笑不得.

zì miàn字面shàng上kàn看，tā它hěn很jiǎn dān简单。

Literally, it is very simple.

“kū哭”hé和“xiào笑”dà jiā大家dōu都dǒng懂，“bù dé不得”，jiù shì就是bù néng不能、méi fǎ没法zuò做。

Everyone understands 哭 and 笑, while 不得 means being unable to or having no way to do something.

zhè这bìng并bú shì不是shuō说yǒu rén有人jìn zhǐ禁止nǐ你kū哭huò或xiào笑，ér shì而是nǐ你xīn lǐ心里de的gǎn jué感觉tài太máo dùn矛盾le了，ràng让nǐ你bù不zhī dào知道gāi该yòng用nǎ zhǒng哪种biǎo qíng表情qù去miàn duì面对。

This doesn't mean someone is forbidding you from crying or laughing, but rather that the feelings in your heart are so contradictory that you don't know which expression to use.

xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下zhè yàng这样de的chǎng jǐng场景：nǐ你gāng刚mǎi买le了yī zhī一支áng guì昂贵de的kǒu hóng口红，jié guǒ结果huí jiā回家fā xiàn发现，nǐ你sān suì三岁de的hái zi孩子ná拿zhe着tā它，zài在bái sè白色de的qiáng墙shàng上huà画le了yī fú一幅“dà zuò大作”，hái还yī liǎn一脸jiāo ào骄傲dì地děng等zhe着nǐ你biǎo yáng表扬。

Imagine this scene: you just bought an expensive lipstick, only to get home and find your three-year-old child has used it to paint a "masterpiece" on the white wall, and is waiting proudly for your praise.

nà那yī kè一刻，nǐ你xīn téng心疼nǐ你de的kǒu hóng口红hé和qiáng bì墙壁，hěn很xiǎng想fā huǒ发火，shèn zhì甚至xiǎng想kū哭；kě shì可是kàn看zhe着hái zi孩子tiān zhēn天真wú gū无辜de的liǎn脸，nǐ你yòu又jué de觉得zhè这huà miàn画面shí zài实在tài太huá jī滑稽le了。

At that moment, you feel distressed about your lipstick and the wall, wanting to get angry or even cry; but looking at the child's innocent face, you find the scene truly hilarious.

zhè shí hòu这时候，nǐ你xīn lǐ心里de的nà zhǒng那种gǎn jué感觉，jiù shì就是“kū xiào bù dé哭笑不得”。

At this time, the feeling in your heart is 哭笑不得.

wǒ men我们yòng用zhè ge这个cí词，wǎng wǎng往往bú shì不是yīn wèi因为yù dào遇到le了zhēn zhèng真正de的dà大zāi nàn灾难。

We often use this word not because we have encountered a real disaster.

xiāng fǎn相反，tā它tōng cháng通常shì是yòng lái用来xíng róng形容shēng huó生活lǐ里nà xiē那些huāng miù荒谬de的xiǎo小yì wài意外，huò zhě或者shì是bié rén别人zuò做le了yī xiē一些hú tú糊涂shì事，ràng让nǐ你jué de觉得jì既shēng qì生气yòu又hǎo xiào好笑。

On the contrary, it is usually used to describe those absurd little accidents in life, or when someone does something foolish that makes you feel both angry and amused.

tā它qí shí其实shì是yī zhǒng一种hěn很wēi miào微妙de的“wú kě nài hé无可奈何”。

It is actually a very subtle kind of helplessness.

zài在zhè zhǒng这种shí kè时刻，dào lǐ道理jiǎng bù tōng讲不通，shēng qì生气yòu又xiǎn de显得tài太yán sù严肃。

In such moments, logic doesn't work, and getting angry seems too serious.

suǒ yǐ所以，xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你miàn duì面对yí gè一个hùn luàn混乱yòu又huá jī滑稽de的chǎng miàn场面，bù不zhī dào知道gāi该bǎi摆chū出shén me什么biǎo qíng表情shí时，yě xǔ也许zhǐ néng只能yáo摇yáo tóu摇头，tàn叹yì kǒu qì一口气，chéng rèn承认zì jǐ自己zhēn de真的shì是“kū xiào bù dé哭笑不得”le了。

So, next time you face a chaotic and funny scene and don't know what expression to make, perhaps you can only shake your head, sigh, and admit that you are truly 哭笑不得.

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