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kū 哭 xiào 笑 bù 不 dé 得

哭笑不得 kū xiào bù dé

not knowing whether to laugh or cry

Literally: cry laugh not able

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Origin

Descriptive; no single source story. Attested in Yuan dynasty drama.

How to use it

Predicate, often after 让人; humorous or neutral. Often 让人哭笑不得.

Example sentences

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  1. 儿子把盐当成糖放进了咖啡，真让人哭笑不得。
    Érzi bǎ yán dàngchéng táng fàngjìn le kāfēi, zhēn ràng rén kū xiào bù dé.
    My son put salt in the coffee thinking it was sugar; I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
    son (object marker) salt treat-as sugar put-into (particle) coffee, really make person cry laugh not able
  2. 他的回答让老师哭笑不得。
    Tā de huídá ràng lǎoshī kū xiào bù dé.
    His answer left the teacher not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
    he (particle) answer make teacher cry laugh not able

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