挖苦

wākǔ

verb HSK 7-9 #10,831

Meanings

HSK 1

你别挖苦我了！

Nǐ bié wākǔ wǒ le!

Stop being sarcastic with me!

HSK 3

他总是挖苦别人。

Tā zǒngshì wākǔ biérén.

He is always sarcastic towards others.

memory

挖 (to dig) + 苦 (bitter) = to dig up bitterness, i.e., to use cutting/sarcastic words that sting.

usage

挖苦 implies indirect, cutting remarks rather than direct insults. Compare with 讽刺 (to satirize) which is more formal and literary.

挖 wā

苦 kǔ