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to say something untrue in a playful or humorous way
他开玩笑说要辞职。
He joked about quitting his job.
别开玩笑了，这不可能。
Stop joking around, that's impossible.
Often used to express disbelief or to soften a statement.
In Chinese, 开玩笑 can be used to soften a request or statement. For example, '开玩笑的' (just kidding) is a common way to retract a harsh comment.
Pay attention to tone when someone says '开玩笑'. It can be playful, sarcastic, or even passive-aggressive depending on the context.
开 (kāi) means 'to open' or 'to start', while 玩笑 (wánxiào) means 'joke' or 'jest'. The phrase literally translates to 'to open a joke', implying the initiation of a playful or humorous remark.
Used in both casual and slightly formal contexts to indicate humor or disbelief. Often followed by a clarifying statement to confirm seriousness.