dở khóc dở cười
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Half crying, half laughing — a predicament neither face fits.
Literally: partly weep, partly laugh
Examples
Tình huống dở khóc dở cười.A situation you can neither cry nor laugh at.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “dở khóc dở cười” mean?
Half crying, half laughing — a predicament neither face fits. Literally: partly weep, partly laugh
Is “dở khóc dở cười” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.