装聋作哑

裝聾作啞

zhuānglóng-zuòyǎ

idiom #33,978

Meanings

HSK 4

遇到麻烦事他就装聋作哑。

Yùdào máfanshì tā jiù zhuānglóng-zuòyǎ.

Whenever trouble comes up, he just plays deaf and dumb.

HSK 6

面对同事的求助，他装聋作哑。

Miànduì tóngshì de qiúzhù, tā zhuānglóng-zuòyǎ.

Faced with his colleague's plea for help, he pretended not to hear.

history

From Ma Zhiyuan's Yuan-dynasty play 《青衫泪》 act 4: 可怎生装聋作哑 - 'how can you act deaf and dumb?'

usage

Strongly negative: implies the person deliberately ignores responsibility or a clear request. Don't confuse with genuine ignorance.

装 zhuāng

聋 lóng

作 zuò

哑 yǎ