How common it is
开玩笑 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say kāi wán xiào slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“开玩笑”表示说有趣的话，但不要伤害别人。
“kāi wánxiào” biǎoshì shuō yǒuqù de huà, dàn bú yào shānghài biérén.
“Joke” means saying something funny, but not hurting others.
Context note
和朋友说话时可以开玩笑，但要注意分寸。
Hé péngyou shuōhuà shí kěyǐ kāi wánxiào, dàn yào zhùyì fēncùn.
When talking with friends, you can joke, but you should be careful and moderate.
5 examples
你不要开玩笑，我在认真听。
nǐ bú yào kāi wán xiào， wǒ zài rèn zhēn tīng。
Don't joke, I am listening seriously.
他们在教室门口开玩笑。
tā men zài jiào shì mén kǒu kāi wán xiào。
They are joking at the classroom door.
妈妈知道他是在开玩笑。
mā ma zhī dào tā shì zài kāi wán xiào。
Mom knew he was joking.
请不要拿别人开玩笑。
qǐng bú yào ná bié rén kāi wán xiào。
Please do not joke about other people.
他笑着开玩笑，大家都笑了。
tā xiào zhe kāi wán xiào， dà jiā dōu xiào le。
He joked with a smile, and everyone laughed.
5 mini stories
小猫把毛线球碰到了地上。姐姐说，别开玩笑了，快来帮忙。
xiǎo māo bǎ máo xiàn qiú pèng dào le dì shàng。 jiě jie shuō， bié kāi wán xiào le， kuài lái bāng máng。
The kitten knocked the yarn ball to the floor. Sister said, stop joking and come help quickly.
朋友们一起聊天时，会轻轻开玩笑。大家都觉得很有趣。
péng yǒu men yì qǐ liáo tiān shí， huì qīng qīng kāi wán xiào。 dà jiā dōu jué de hěn yǒu qù。
When friends chat together, they lightly joke. Everyone thinks it is fun.
老师说，课堂上不要随便开玩笑。这样大家才能认真学习。
lǎo shī shuō， kè táng shàng bú yào suí biàn kāi wán xiào。 zhè yàng dà jiā cái néng rèn zhēn xué xí。
The teacher said not to joke casually in class. That way everyone can study seriously.
弟弟说他会飞。妈妈知道他是在开玩笑，就笑了。
dì di shuō tā huì fēi。 mā ma zhī dào tā shì zài kāi wán xiào， jiù xiào le。
My little brother said he could fly. Mom knew he was joking, so she smiled.
我和同桌开玩笑，结果我们都忍不住笑了。
wǒ hé tóng zhuō kāi wán xiào， jié guǒ wǒ men dōu rěn bú zhù xiào le。
My deskmate and I joked, and in the end we both could not help laughing.