Chat attack

do not know whether to cry or laugh / 哭笑不得 / (kūxiào bùdé) 

A: I heard you have a white cat? Is it really cute? 

听说你养了一只白猫？它是不是很可爱呢？

(tīnɡshuō nǐ yǎnɡle yīzhī báimāo?tā shìbùshì hěn kěài ne?)

B: When it isn't being naughty, it can be really cute, but sometimes it can make a mess of my house when it is misbehaving.  

它不调皮的时候是挺可爱的,但有些时候太淘气总是把家里翻得特别乱。

(tā bù tiàopí de shíhòu shì tǐnɡ kěài de, dàn yǒuxiē shíhòu tài táoqì zǒnɡshì bǎ jiālǐ fāndé tèbié luàn.)

A: It is normal for animals to be naughty. I saw a news report this morning that said a woman in Beijing who also has a white cat woke up one morning and discovered that the little cat was standing on her bed with a mouse dangling from its mouth.

小动物调皮很正常。我今早看到一则社会新闻,一位北京的女士也养了一只白猫。有天早上她醒来,发现小猫叼着一只老鼠站在她的床上。

(xiǎo dònɡwù tiàopí hěn zhènɡchánɡ.wǒ jīnzǎo kàndào yīzé shèhuì xīnwén, yīwèi běijīnɡ de nǚshì yě yǎnɡle yīzhī báimāo.yǒutiān zǎoshànɡ tā xǐnɡlái, fāxiàn xiǎomāo diāozhe yīzhī lǎoshǔ zhànzài tāde chuánɡshànɡ.)

B: Haha, I bet this woman didn't know whether to cry or laugh. What can you do, right?  

哈哈,想必这位女士一定哭笑不得,感觉十分无奈吧？

(hāhā, xiǎnɡbì zhèwèi nǚshì yīdìnɡ kūxiàobùdé, ɡǎnjué shífēn wúnai bā?)

A: You're right. She told the reporter that the little cat most likely was trying to be nice and wanted to give her a present, but who knew that it would be a rat.  

没错,她对记者说小猫其实有可能是好心,想送她一个礼物,不料却送了一只老鼠。

(méicuò, tāduì jìzhě shuō xiǎomāo qíshí yǒukěnénɡ shì hǎoxīn, xiǎnɡ sònɡtā yīɡè lǐwù, bùliào què sònɡle yīzhī lǎoshǔ.)

B: It is interesting. I think there is no better word to describe this than say she does not know whether to cry and laugh.

真有趣,我想除了说她哭笑不得,也再也找不到其他方法形容了吧。

(zhēnyǒuqù, wǒxiǎnɡ chúle shuōtā kūxiàobùdé, yě zàiyě zhǎobùdào qítā fānɡfǎ xínɡrónɡ lebā?)

Illustration: Liu Xidan/Global Times