Years of experience have taught him a good deal about the ways of the world.
Tips
mistakes
The neutral-tone reading 世故 is an adjective for a person, smooth and calculating. This full fourth tone, 世故, is the noun: what a person knows about how society actually works. 人情世故 keeps the full tone.
usage
As a noun 世故 carries no insult on its own. It names what someone picks up from years of dealing with people, so it goes with verbs of learning and understanding rather than describing a character flaw.
