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How to Say ‘Joke; tease’ in Simplified Chinese

开玩笑

kāi wán xiào

[kye-wahn-shyaow]

💬 Usage Tip: [开玩笑] means "joke" or "be kidding," and it works as a verb phrase: [别开玩笑] = "don't joke around." In [开玩笑的], it means "I was joking."

Phrase Breakdown

开玩笑

kāi wán xiào

[kye-wahn-shyaow]

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.

Example

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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