哭

哭 (kū) is the standard Chinese verb for crying — the physical act of producing tears, whether from sadness, pain, joy, or frustration. It covers everything from a baby's wail to a quiet adult cry to sobbing at a funeral, where English splits the action into 'cry,' 'weep,' 'sob,' and 'bawl.' Two notes for English speakers: first, 哭 is the act itself, not the emotion behind it, so you often pair it with a reason — 哭着说 (kūzhe shuō, 'say while crying'), 哭出来 (kū chūlái, 'cry it out'), or 想哭 (xiǎng kū, 'feel like crying').

Second, the opposite is 笑 (xiào, to laugh/smile), and the two are often contrasted: 又哭又笑 means 'crying and laughing at the same time.' The character pictures two mouths (口口) over a dog (犬) — a folk image of a howling cry.