<p>Sometimes, an irony is not intentionally meant to mock or be sacarstic. It just things happen in a contradictory way and it feels like life is mocking you.</p>
<p>Maybe 讽刺 is an element in both ironies and sarcasm. It is the element of feeling like one is mocked.</p>
<p>Irony 通常描述事情的结果与预期相反，因此颇有讽刺的意味，而 sarcasm 描述用语言讽刺、挖苦某人。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-23T02:07:56.523Z
2023-10-23T02:21:29.903Z
2023-10-23T02:21:29.903Z
user36959
<p>Both irony and sarcasm have the ingredient of something happening which is the opposite of what is expected, a twist in a plot, if you will. Sarcasm is using irony to mock, or show contempt. They are not the exact same thing in English, but the ideas are somewhat related. For them to be rendered the same expression in a different language is not all that far-fetched.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-16T20:39:06.283Z
I agree, A sarcastic comment is a mocky with irony; an ironic result is an unexpected but natural outcome within the logic. e.g. The goal of killing sparrows in China was to protect the crop so the people would not go hungry, but the ironic fact was, with most of the sparrows gone, the pest that the sparrows should have eaten multiplied uncontrollably, destroyed China's agriculture the next year and caused a famine
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-16T18:47:43.740Z
2022-09-16T18:47:43.740Z
monalisa
<p>&quot;sarcastic&quot; and &quot;ironic&quot; both are expressing ridicule (讽刺/嘲笑) but with different manners.</p>
<p>&quot;sarcastic&quot; - Expressing ridicule using sarcasm (a witty language used to convey insults or scorn, esp. saying one thing but implying the opposite.</p>
<p>&quot;ironic&quot; - Humorously sarcastic or mocking.</p>
<p>While there is no shortage of &quot;sarcastic expressions&quot;, &quot;ironic expression&quot; is rather a new concept in Chinese culture.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-15T22:26:43.230Z
2022-09-15T22:26:43.230Z
r13
<p>I should say, they are similar in Chinese. Actually, you can use another a little more accurate idiom 阴阳怪气 to express ironic, and 挖苦 to express sarcastic, although in Chinese, 阴阳怪气 and 挖苦 are all included in 讽刺。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-16T23:33:47.417Z
阴阳怪气 and "ironic" are NOT the same at all.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T00:49:56.197Z
@monalisa this is copied from Oxford dictionary about the meaning of "ironic": showing that you really mean the opposite of what you are saying; expressing irony. This is copied from a Chinese dictionary: 说话带讥讽意味的冷冰冰的，从侧面或反面说辛辣嘲讽的话. It is very hard to find out absolutely same meaning words in different languages. Obviously, 阴阳怪气 is included in 讽刺 and closer to "Ironic" than 讽刺。So, could you please tell me what is your point of "not same at all"?
Havier
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T02:40:53.150Z
阴阳怪气 describes how a voice sounds but it doesn't indicate the emotion behind it. Actually, calling someone 阴阳怪气 implies that person's gender is unclear。东方不败的言行举止就是典型的阴阳怪气
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T04:15:11.020Z
@Havier Very similar to what Tang Ho wrote above. 阴阳怪气 describes a manner of speech, whereas irony is about the content of what is said. They don't even belong to the same part of speech. You can use  阴阳怪气 (a strange, androgynous voice) to express sarcasm, irony, or anything else.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T04:53:03.720Z
@monalisa I'm pretty sure both of you have a very incomplete understanding. I am sure when most Chinese people say something like "he speaks yin and yang strangely", what they want to express is "this person does not speak directly, but there is something in his words", or "this person always likes to speak ironically", instead of saying A person's voice is neither male nor female. An example is that I just searched in "Baidu Chinese" for the example sentences of 阴阳怪气,  , none of the voices expressed here are neither male nor female. I will post the website in the next comment.
Havier
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T04:53:19.537Z
https://hanyu.baidu.com/s?wd=%E9%98%B4%E9%98%B3%E6%80%AA%E6%B0%94%E9%80%A0%E5%8F%A5
Havier
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T04:54:48.353Z
@monalisa I am Chinese native speaker. If you two don't trust me, you can try to ask other Chinese native speakers what is meaning of 阴阳怪气.
Havier
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T14:58:54.260Z
A good way  to tell is to get someone, or you yourself, to do a back translation of your sentences in baidu.com, I really do not see any form of the word irony coming up in those translations. Don't forget that the OP's question is about "ironic/sarcastic", and the similarities between them.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-18T21:57:40.533Z
@Havier  Quote: "I am Chinese native speaker." --  It is not a sound argument, I've seen  
too many English native speakers who couldn't compose grammatical sentences. I am a native Chinese too, I don't count on people taking my words as facts just for that.  I want them to listen to my logic and reasoning and be convinced. I am not saying your Chinese is bad, I am just saying you are wrong in this case
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-15T22:51:40.453Z
2023-11-09T10:12:27.113Z
2023-11-09T10:12:27.113Z
Havier
<p>A colleague described a situation (or maybe something a person said in that situation) as &quot;sarcastic,&quot; but it didn't really make sense. I asked if she meant &quot;ironic,&quot; and she said yes, they're the same word in Chinese, which I found really interesting.</p>
<p>I don't know any Chinese. Can someone describe in English how the 2 notions are connected by one word?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-15T22:40:44.363Z
The [difference between sarcasm and irony](https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/vs/irony-vs-sarcasm-types-and-differences.html) is hard to understand even for native English speakers.  (This came up in [this question](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/45306/8099) about Chinese humor.)
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T02:10:35.447Z
I normally used 讽凉 for sarcasm.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-17T02:18:44.517Z
That's because 刺 has too much an element of "to attack", like 刺客, (an assassin), whereas "sarcasm" is more subtle, even "playful"
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-24T02:40:44.880Z
I usually use 反諷 for sarcasm. But you need to realize that you cannot translate English into Chinese word for word, and vice versa.
fat penguin
<translation><synonyms><nuance>
How does 讽刺 mean both "sarcastic" and "ironic"?
# How does 讽刺 mean both "sarcastic" and "ironic"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-15)

A colleague described a situation (or maybe something a person said in that situation) as "sarcastic," but it didn't really make sense. I asked if she meant "ironic," and she said yes, they're the same word in Chinese, which I found really interesting.

I don't know any Chinese. Can someone describe in English how the 2 notions are connected by one word?

**Tags:** translation, synonyms, nuance

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The [difference between sarcasm and irony](https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/vs/irony-vs-sarcasm-types-and-differences.html) is hard to understand even for native English speakers.  (This came up in [this question](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/45306/8099) about Chinese humor.)  
> **username_2**: I normally used 讽凉 for sarcasm.  
> **username_2**: That's because 刺 has too much an element of "to attack", like 刺客, (an assassin), whereas "sarcasm" is more subtle, even "playful"  
> **username_3**: I usually use 反諷 for sarcasm. But you need to realize that you cannot translate English into Chinese word for word, and vice versa.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2023-10-23. Score: 2

Sometimes, an irony is not intentionally meant to mock or be sacarstic. It just things happen in a contradictory way and it feels like life is mocking you.

Maybe 讽刺 is an element in both ironies and sarcasm. It is the element of feeling like one is mocked.

Irony 通常描述事情的结果与预期相反，因此颇有讽刺的意味，而 sarcasm 描述用语言讽刺、挖苦某人。


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2022-09-16. Score: 1

Both irony and sarcasm have the ingredient of something happening which is the opposite of what is expected, a twist in a plot, if you will. Sarcasm is using irony to mock, or show contempt. They are not the exact same thing in English, but the ideas are somewhat related. For them to be rendered the same expression in a different language is not all that far-fetched.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: I agree, A sarcastic comment is a mocky with irony; an ironic result is an unexpected but natural outcome within the logic. e.g. The goal of killing sparrows in China was to protect the crop so the people would not go hungry, but the ironic fact was, with most of the sparrows gone, the pest that the sparrows should have eaten multiplied uncontrollably, destroyed China's agriculture the next year and caused a famine  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2022-09-15. Score: 1

"sarcastic" and "ironic" both are expressing ridicule (讽刺/嘲笑) but with different manners.

"sarcastic" - Expressing ridicule using sarcasm (a witty language used to convey insults or scorn, esp. saying one thing but implying the opposite.

"ironic" - Humorously sarcastic or mocking.

While there is no shortage of "sarcastic expressions", "ironic expression" is rather a new concept in Chinese culture.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2022-09-15. Score: 1

I should say, they are similar in Chinese. Actually, you can use another a little more accurate idiom 阴阳怪气 to express ironic, and 挖苦 to express sarcastic, although in Chinese, 阴阳怪气 and 挖苦 are all included in 讽刺。

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: 阴阳怪气 and "ironic" are NOT the same at all.  
> **username_8**: @username_5 this is copied from Oxford dictionary about the meaning of "ironic": showing that you really mean the opposite of what you are saying; expressing irony. This is copied from a Chinese dictionary: 说话带讥讽意味的冷冰冰的，从侧面或反面说辛辣嘲讽的话. It is very hard to find out absolutely same meaning words in different languages. Obviously, 阴阳怪气 is included in 讽刺 and closer to "Ironic" than 讽刺。So, could you please tell me what is your point of "not same at all"?  
> **username_6**: 阴阳怪气 describes how a voice sounds but it doesn't indicate the emotion behind it. Actually, calling someone 阴阳怪气 implies that person's gender is unclear。东方不败的言行举止就是典型的阴阳怪气  
> **username_5**: @username_8 Very similar to what username_6 wrote above. 阴阳怪气 describes a manner of speech, whereas irony is about the content of what is said. They don't even belong to the same part of speech. You can use  阴阳怪气 (a strange, androgynous voice) to express sarcasm, irony, or anything else.  
> **username_8**: @username_5 I'm pretty sure both of you have a very incomplete understanding. I am sure when most Chinese people say something like "he speaks yin and yang strangely", what they want to express is "this person does not speak directly, but there is something in his words", or "this person always likes to speak ironically", instead of saying A person's voice is neither male nor female. An example is that I just searched in "Baidu Chinese" for the example sentences of 阴阳怪气,  , none of the voices expressed here are neither male nor female. I will post the website in the next comment.  
> **username_8**: https://hanyu.baidu.com/s?wd=%E9%98%B4%E9%98%B3%E6%80%AA%E6%B0%94%E9%80%A0%E5%8F%A5  
> **username_8**: @username_5 I am Chinese native speaker. If you two don't trust me, you can try to ask other Chinese native speakers what is meaning of 阴阳怪气.  
> **username_5**: A good way  to tell is to get someone, or you yourself, to do a back translation of your sentences in baidu.com, I really do not see any form of the word irony coming up in those translations. Don't forget that the OP's question is about "ironic/sarcastic", and the similarities between them.  
> **username_6**: @username_8  Quote: "I am Chinese native speaker." --  It is not a sound argument, I've seen   too many English native speakers who couldn't compose grammatical sentences. I am a native Chinese too, I don't count on people taking my words as facts just for that.  I want them to listen to my logic and reasoning and be convinced. I am not saying your Chinese is bad, I am just saying you are wrong in this case  

---

