How to Say ‘Joke; tease’ in Simplified Chinese
开玩笑
💬 Usage Tip: [开玩笑] is “to joke/tease.” You can say [别开玩笑] = “don’t joke around,” or [我开玩笑的] = “I’m just kidding.”
🇨🇳 In China: Chinese conversation often uses [开玩笑] to quickly smooth over something that sounded too direct.
Word-by-Word Breakdown
开玩笑
[kāi wán xiào]
to joke; to kid; to be joking
Used to indicate you’re not serious. Often said after a bold or cheeky remark to soften it.
我说“红包拿来”只是开玩笑。
I only said “hand over the red envelope” as a joke.
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