开挂

開掛
kāiguà
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to cheat in an online game (using hacks/aimbots)
  2. 2 (figurative) to perform unbelievably well, as if cheating

Examples

Tā shè de zhème zhǔn, kěndìng shì kāiguà le.
He aims so accurately — he must be cheating.
Tā zuìjìn shìyè xiàng kāiguà yīyàng.
Her career lately is like she's got a cheat code on.

Tips

history
Short for 开外 (kāi wàiguà) — 外挂 ('external attachment') was the early 2000s term for third-party cheat programs hooked into online games. Now 开挂 is everyday slang for 'performing impossibly well', applicable to anyone's career, sports, exam scores, even kids' growth.
register
Casual, can be either accusatory (in-game: 'you're hacking!') or admiring (figurative: 'you're crushing it!'). Tone is read from context. 一样 is the very common simile form ('like they turned on a cheat').

Stroke Order

kāi
guà