Definition

1. Verb:
   • To jest / to joke: To make light, humorous remarks or engage in playful banter, often without serious intent.
   • To mock / to scoff: To laugh at or make fun of someone or something in a derisive or scornful manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy chỉ đang cười cợt cho vui thôi, đừng bận tâm. (He was just jesting for fun, don't mind it.)
  • Đừng cười cợt những ước mơ của người khác. (Do not mock the dreams of others.)
  • Họ ngồi cười cợt với nhau suốt buổi chiều. (They sat joking with each other all afternoon.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often implies a tone that is not fully respectful. The context determines whether the action is seen as light-hearted teasing or as contemptuous ridicule.

Variants and Related Words

• Cười (v): to laugh, to smile.
• Cười nhạo (v): to sneer, to deride (stronger, more explicit mockery).
• Đùa cợt (v): to joke, to kid around (focuses more on playful joking).

Synonyms

• To jest: to speak or act in a playful or humorous way.
• To mock: to tease or laugh at in a scornful or contemptuous manner.
• To ridicule: to make fun of someone or something unkindly.

Related Idioms

• Cười cợt trên nỗi đau của người khác: to joke/mock over someone else's pain.
  • Hành động cười cợt trên nỗi đau của người khác là tàn nhẫn. (The act of mocking someone else's pain is cruel.)