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笑而不語

简笑而不语 · 繁笑而不語

Mandarin · pinyin xiào ér bù yǔ

to smile but say nothing

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Characters in this entry

笑: xiào · smile, laugh, giggle; snicker
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
語: Look up this written character
语: yǔ · language, words; saying, expression

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–3 · xiao4 er2 bu4 yu3

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

siu3 ji4 bat1 jyu5

Cantonese word readings for 笑而不語. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to smile without saying anything

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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