耍花腔

shuǎhuāqiāng
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to trill out fancy tunes
  2. 2 to smooth-talk; to sweet-talk deceptively
  3. 3 to try to fool someone with pretty words

Examples

Bié gēn wǒ shuǎ huāqiāng, lǎoshi shuō.
Quit the sweet talk and give me a straight answer.
Tā zuì huì shuǎ huāqiāng, méi jǐ gè nǚhái bù shàngdàng.
He's a pro at sweet-talking — few girls don't fall for it.
Shuǎ huāqiāng néng piàn yīshí, piàn bùliǎo yībèizi.
Smooth talk can fool someone for a while, but not for a lifetime.

Tips

memory
is 'flowery singing' — the elaborate trills that show off a singer's range without saying anything. 耍花腔 is that vocal performance applied to deception: lots of melody, no substance.
register
Colloquial and always negative. Often thrown at insincere promises, salesman patter, or a partner's evasions.

Stroke Order

shuǎ
huā
qiāng