齿冷

齒冷
chǐlěng
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to sneer at
  2. 2 to laugh at scornfully (literary)

Examples

Tā de suǒzuòsuǒwéi lìng rén chǐlěng.
His behavior makes people sneer in contempt.
Zhè zhǒng xūwěi de tàidu zhēn jiào rén chǐlěng.
This kind of hypocritical attitude truly invites scorn.

Tips

history
Literally 'teeth cold'. The image: opening your mouth in scornful laughter so long that your teeth grow cold. The classical phrase 令人齿冷 (lìng rén chǐlěng, 'makes one's teeth go cold') comes from the History of the Southern Qi (《》) and is the standard frame today.
register
Literary and written. Almost always in the fixed pattern 令人齿冷 or 为人齿冷. You'll see it in essays and editorials, rarely in casual speech.

Stroke Order

齿 chǐ
lěng