做贼心虚

做賊心虛
zuòzéixīnxū
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to have a guilty conscience like a thief
  2. 2 to betray oneself by nervousness after wrongdoing

Examples

Tā yī tīngdào jǐngchē shēng jiù liǎnsè fā bái, zhēn shì zuòzéixīnxū.
The moment he heard the police siren his face went white — a classic guilty conscience.
Zuòzéixīnxū de rén zuì pà biérén duō kàn liǎng yǎn.
People with something to hide are the most afraid of a second glance.
Nǐ jiěshì de zhème jí, fǎndào ràng rén juéde nǐ zuòzéixīnxū.
You're explaining yourself so frantically that it actually makes you look guilty.

Tips

history
Attested in the Song-dynasty Chan text 《》: when the master hears that someone had peered into the abbot's quarters, he says 'the thief's heart is hollow (人心).' The image — a thief giving himself away by his own nerves — has stuck ever since.

Stroke Order

zuò
zéi
xīn