irony
n
1 [U] expression of one's meaning by saying the direct opposite of one's thoughts in order to be emphatic, amusing, sarcastic, etc 反语; 反话
`That's really lovely, that is!' he said with heavy irony. `那真是可爱极了, 真的!'他故意说反话.
2 [U, C] situation, event, etc that is desirable in itself but so unexpected or ill-timed that it appears to be deliberately perverse 有讽刺意味的情况、 事情等(其本身未始不可取, 但因出人意料或来非其时而似故意乖违)
the irony of fate 命运的嘲弄
He inherited a fortune but died a month later; one of life's little ironies. 他继承一笔遗产後一个月就死了, 有点时乖命蹇吧.
About a third of the people who had been chained up below at the beginning of the journey were missing.
旅程开始时拴在下边的人大约有三分之一已经不见了。
For his lifentime's work in studying the communication of animals, including honey bees, Professor Karl von Frisch was given a Nobel Prize in 1973, which he shared with two other scientists. He died in 1982.