A tragicomedy is a play, film, or story that is sad and funny at the same time. Not sad in one part and funny in another — the two live together, so you may laugh at something that is also genuinely painful.

A tragicomedyTragicomedy 指的是 is a play, film, or story一齣戲劇、一部電影，或一個故事 that is sad and funny at the same time同時是悲傷又好笑的。Not sad in one part and funny in another不是這邊悲傷、那邊好笑分開來—— the two live together這兩種感覺是同時存在的， so you may laugh at something that is also genuinely painful所以你可能會對一件真的很痛的事笑出來。

As a term in drama it has a long history: plays that begin in danger and end happily, or that put clowns into a serious story. Shakespeare's late plays are often called tragicomedies.

As a term in drama作為戲劇上的一個術語 it has a long history這個字有很長的歷史： plays that begin in danger and end happily一開始很危險、最後皆大歡喜的劇本， or that put clowns into a serious story或是把小丑角色放進嚴肅故事裡的劇本。Shakespeare's late plays莎士比亞晚期的劇作 are often called tragicomedies常被稱為 tragicomedies。

In modern use it covers any film where you laugh and then feel bad for laughing, and much of the best writing about ordinary family life falls here.

In modern use在現代的用法裡 it covers any film這個字涵蓋任何一部電影 where you laugh and then feel bad for laughing你笑了、然後又因為自己笑了而覺得不好意思， and much of the best writing about ordinary family life falls here很多描寫平凡家庭生活的優秀作品，也算在這一類。

The word also escapes the theatre. People use it for real events: "the whole election was a tragicomedy", "our trip turned into a tragicomedy of missed trains". Here it means the situation was a disaster, but a disaster so absurd that you had to laugh.

The word also escapes the theatre這個字也跳出了劇場。People use it for real events大家也用它來說真實事件： "the whole election was a tragicomedy"「the whole election was a tragicomedy（整場選舉根本是齣悲喜劇）」， "our trip turned into a tragicomedy of missed trains"「our trip turned into a tragicomedy of missed trains（我們這趟旅行變成一齣不斷錯過火車的悲喜劇）」。Here it means the situation was a disaster這裡的意思是說事情一團糟， but a disaster so absurd that you had to laugh但糟到很荒謬，讓你不得不笑出來。

One thing worth telling students: this is a real and respected category, not a failure to choose. Some writers think it is truer to life than either pure form, because real trouble usually arrives with something ridiculous attached.

One thing worth telling students有件事值得告訴學生： this is a real and respected category這是一個真實存在、受到肯定的類別， not a failure to choose不是因為作者選不定而變成的四不像。Some writers think it is truer to life than either pure form有些作家認為，這比純悲劇或純喜劇都更貼近真實人生， because real trouble usually arrives with something ridiculous attached因為真正的麻煩，通常都會伴隨著一點荒謬。

Note the spelling — tragicomedy, with one C. The i and the co have been squeezed together; the tidy-looking "tragicocomedy" was the Latin form and is not English.

Note the spelling注意拼法—— tragicomedy, with one Ctragicomedy，只有一個 C。The i and the co have been squeezed togetheri 跟 co 被擠在一起了； the tidy-looking "tragicocomedy"看起來比較工整的「tragicocomedy」 was the Latin form是拉丁文的形式 and is not English不是英文的寫法。