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笑談

简笑谈 · 繁笑談

Mandarin · pinyin xiào tán

object of ridicule
laughingstock
to laugh over sth
to make light chat

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Characters in this entry

笑: xiào · smile, laugh, giggle; snicker
談: tán · talk; conversation; surname
谈: tán · talk; conversation; surname

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2 · xiao4 tan2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

笑談 · find source passages ↗ · 笑谈 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

(transitive) to laugh and talk at the same time; to discuss with laughter

noun

joke
laughingstock

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

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