Taxonomy of meanings for 笑:　　

  • 笑 xiao4 廣韻：欣也喜也亦作笑私妙切五
      • LAUGH
        • nabactlaughter, sneer
        • nabeventa laughing matter
        • vadNfull of laughter, accomnpanied by laughter
        • vadVamusedgiggling all the while, with an amused peal of laughter
        • vadVdisdainfulwith a sneer
        • viactsmile/laugh (typically disdainfully)
        • viactlaugh noisily, delighted
        • viactproduce an audible sneer
        • viactshow laughing behaviour
        • vipassivebe ridiculous [mark the strange categorisation "vi - pass" which distinguishes this meaning from a possible "given to laughing".
        • vt(oN)imperativelaugh at the contextually determinate person (mostly with negative!??)
        • vtoN+suobe laughed at, be sneered at
        • vtoNdisdainfulnormally: find ridiculous and laugh at, sneer at
        • vtoNdisdainfulget laughed at 為天下笑
        • vtoNpsych(with an inward smile:) find ridiculous
        • vtoNab{S}laugh at the (nominalised) situation S
        • vtoSdisdainfullaugh at N for V-ing
        • vtoSS=narrativelaugh because of the situation described by SDS
        • mildly> SMILE
          • nabactsmile
          • nabact(beguiling) smile (of a lady or a toady)
          • nabactsmile
          • vadNbeguilingsmiling
          • vadVamusedwith a(n amused or well-pleased) smile 笑曰
          • vadVcongenialwith a smile (amicably)
          • viactlaugh as a sign that one is amused by what one experiences
          • viactsmile in a beguiling manner (of women)
          • viactsmile congenially in conversation etc.　相視而笑
          • viactsmile as a reaction to something pleasant　大悅而笑
          • viactsmile (with a despondent sigh etc)
          • viactsmile with contempt
          • viactembarrassed smile
          • viactgo through the motions of a smile, cut a smiling face
          • vtoNamusedmiddle voice: be smiled at
          • worth smiling at> FUNNY
            • vadNamusingcausing smiles> amusing 笑言
            • subject> JOKE
              • nabjoke; anecdote; funny storyDS
        • derisively> MOCK
          • nobjectobject of mocking behaviour
          • vtoNmock
      • exocentric: agent> ENTERTAINER
        • v[adN]buffoon, jester

      Additional information about 笑

      說文解字: 　　 【笑】， 【此字本闕。臣鉉等案：孙愐《唐韻》引《說文》云：喜也。从竹、从犬， 〔小徐本「犬」作「夭」。〕 而不述其義。今俗皆从犬。又案：李陽冰刊定《說文》：从竹、从夭。義云：竹得風，其體夭屈如人之笑。未知其審。】 【私妙切】

        Criteria
      • MOURNING

        1. The most general current word is sāng 喪 which embraces all phases and aspects of complex process of mourning in ancient China.

        2. Diào 弔 / 吊 (ant. qìng 慶 "congratulate") is to publicly express one's sorrow on the occasion of the death of someone outside one's own immedidate family.

        3. Dào 悼 is to publicly bemoan any major disaster regarding a person, including serious disease or serious accidents.

        4. Kū 哭 (ant. xiào 笑 "laugh with joy") is often used as a generalised verb referring to participation in all sorts of mourning rituals and activities.

        5. Āi 哀 refers to engaging in mourning primarily for a near relative, but the word also has common extending meanings where it extends to any kind of grief. See GRIEF.

      • MOCK

        1. The most general word for mockery is cháo 嘲, but this word is exceedingly rare in pre-Buddhist literature.

        2. Jī 譏 adds an element of criticism to that of mockery.

        3. Xiào 笑 refers to non-verbalised mockery through sneering.

        4. Nòng 弄 adds the nuance of practical teasing to that of mockery.

        5. Tíáo 調, huī 詼, and xié 諧 refer to teasing mild mockery.

      • WEEP

        1. The current general word for weeping as a spontaneous reaction is qì 泣.

        2. Kū 哭 (ant. xiào 笑 "laugh") refers primarily to the (often ritualised) act of lamentation and wailing which may or may not be accompanied by the shedding of tears, and the word is never used to refer to refer to a spontaneous breaking into tears. (Note HNZ: 其哭哀而無聲 )

        3. Háo 號 refers to noisy ritual wailing with no suggestion of any shedding of tears.

        4. Tí 啼 refers to plaintive long-drawn wailing.

        5. Tì 涕 focusses specifically on the shedding of tears, but there is often an admixture of snivel.

        6. Lìn 臨 refers to wailing, possibly accompanied by weeping, en groupe on the occasion of someone's death.

      • LAUGH

        1. The clearly predominant word for smiling and laughing is xiào 笑 which refers to any laughter, loud or quiet, kind or unkind.

        2. Chī 嗤 is almost onomatopoeic and refers to noisy derisive laughter, and the word is exceedingly rare, missing even in SHUOWEN.

        3. The rare word shěn 哂 refers to a discreet, noiseless smile.

        4. Qiào 誚 refers to ridiculing someone.

        5. Jī 譏 refers to deliberate articulate satire including criticism.

      • RIDICULOUS

        可笑 "deserving of ridicule" is exceedingly rare in pre-Buddhist literature.

        Word relations
      • Ant: (LAUGH)啼/WEEP Tí 啼refers to plaintive long-drawn wailing.
      • Ant: (LAUGH)哀/GRIEF The current general word for deep sorrow is āi 哀 (ant. lè 樂 "profound joy"), and this word refers to an inner state of mind that typically finds expression in ritualised action.
      • Ant: (LAUGH)顰 / 嚬 / 顰嚬矉/FROWN Perhaps the most current word referring to all manner of frowning-like behaviour is pín 顰/嚬.
      • Epithet: (SMILE)嘻然/DELIGHT
      • Epithet: (LAUGH)局局然/LAUGH
      • Epithet: (SMILE)欣然/HAPPY
      • Epithet: (LAUGH)莞爾/SMILE
      • Epithet: (LAUGH)辴然/LAUGH
      • Assoc: (LAUGH)歡 / 歡 / 驩/HAPPY Huān 歡 (ant. bēi 悲 "sadness" and chóu 愁 "worried sadness") refers to sociable temporary high spirits and happiness, not only visible to many but normally shared by a group.
      • Assoc: (MOCK)僇 / 戮/HUMILIATE
      • Assoc: (LAUGH)和/HARMONY The general word for bringing something into a state where it is well in tune or keeping in tune with something is hé 和.
      • Assoc: (LAUGH)喜/DELIGHT Xǐ 喜 (ant. yōu 憂 "worry") is openly manifested delight, manifested in an individual, visible to all, but not normally of any profound significance.
      • Assoc: (SMILE)喟然/SIGH Kuì rán 喟然 refers perhaps almost onomatopoetically to the sound of sighing.
      • Assoc: (LAUGH)語/DIALOGUE The current general word for engaging in familiar informal conversation is yǔ 語 (ant. mò 默 "say nothing").
      • Assoc: (LAUGH)談/SPEAK Tán 談 refers to informal chatter, mostly with some pejorative connotation.
      • Oppos: (LAUGH)怒/ANGER Nù 怒 (ant. xǐ 喜 "be delighted") is the general word for anger, and the word tends to imply overt manifestation of feelings of anger, typically in terms of altered breathing patterns. (cf. nù 怒 "to puff oneself up") [OVERT], [PERSONAL]
      • Oppos: (LAUGH)瞋/STARE The current general word for staring at something or at someone is chēn 瞋.
      • Oppos: (LAUGH)義/APPROPRIATE