冷笑

lěngxiào

verb HSK 7-9 #17,808

Meanings

1 to sneer
2 to laugh coldly
3 to smirk

Characters

to laugh; to smile

Literally 'cold laugh' — a laugh that chills rather than warms.

Examples

他冷笑了一声，什么也没说。

Tā lěngxiào le yì shēng, shénme yě méi shuō.

He let out a cold laugh and said nothing.

她冷笑着看着他离开。

Tā lěngxiào zhe kàn zhe tā líkāi.

She sneered as she watched him leave.

Tips

usage

冷笑 is a staple of Chinese web novels and TV dramas. Villains 冷笑 constantly. The internet joke is that if a character 冷笑一声, someone is about to have a very bad day.

Stroke Order

冷 lěng

笑 xiào