Definition
闹笑话 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to make a fool of oneself' or 'to make an embarrassing mistake'. The verb 闹 and the object 笑话 can split when you insert a measure word, a complement, or a modifier between them — for example, 闹了一个大笑话 ('made a big embarrassing mistake'). You can also add 出 to form 闹出笑话 ('cause an embarrassing situation'). It's commonly used in casual speech to describe awkward social blunders.
v.o.
to make a fool of oneselfto make an embarrassing mistake
Examples
- ，。Tā dì yī cì shàng tái yǎnjiǎng, jiéguǒ nào le xiàohuà.He gave a speech on stage for the first time and ended up making a fool of himself.
- ，。Bié luàn shuōhuà, xiǎoxīn nào chū xiàohuà lái.Don't speak carelessly, or you might cause an embarrassing mistake.
- ，。Tā chuān cuò xiézi qù shàngbān, nào le yí gè dà xiàohuà.He wore the wrong shoes to work and made a big embarrassing mistake.
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