佯装

佯装 is more literary and deliberate than the everyday 假装 ('to pretend'). 佯装 emphasizes a calculated act meant to deceive - common in news writing, suspense fiction, and military contexts (佯装撤退 'feign a retreat'). Use 假装 in casual conversation; reserve 佯装 for writing.

memory

佯 alone means 'to feign/pretend' - note the 亻 (person) radical plus 羊 (sheep) as phonetic. 装 means 'to put on, dress up.' Together: 'a person dressing up a pretense.' Compare 佯攻 'feint attack' and 佯死 'play dead.'