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故弄玄虚

故弄玄虛
gùnòngxuánxū
idiom #39,123

Meanings

  1. 1 to deliberately mystify
  2. 2 to play tricks to confuse people
  3. 3 to make something sound deeper than it is

Examples

他说话总是故弄玄虚，让人摸不着头脑。
Tā shuōhuà zǒngshì gù nòng xuán xū, ràng rén mō bù zháo tóunǎo.
He always speaks cryptically and leaves people baffled.
别故弄玄虚了，直接说结果。
Bié gù nòng xuán xū le, zhíjiē shuō jiéguǒ.
Stop being mysterious — just tell me the result.

Tips

usage
Always negative — implies the speaker is padding or obfuscating to seem profound or to manipulate. Common retort: 别故弄玄虚 ('quit the mystification').

Stroke Order

故 gù
弄 nòng
玄 xuán
虚 xū