城府 (chéngfǔ): depth of mind

Meanings

1 depth of mind
2 shrewdness
3 guardedness
4 calculated reserve

Characters

城

government office; mansion

Examples

这个人城府很深,很难看透。

Zhè ge rén chéngfǔ hěn shēn, hěn nán kàntòu.

This person is very deep — hard to see through.

她年纪虽小,却很有城府。

Tā niánjì suī xiǎo, què hěn yǒu chéngfǔ.

Although she is young, she is very calculating.

Tips

usage

城府 almost always appears with 深 (deep) — 城府很深 / 城府极深 — describing someone who hides their thoughts and plans behind a guarded exterior. Note the moral ambiguity: it is a sign of shrewdness or savvy, but also of being hard to trust. The opposite is 心直口快 (xīn zhí kǒu kuài, "straight heart, quick mouth").

history

Literally "city walls and government office" — both fortified, both layered. The metaphor: a person with 城府 is fortified like a walled city, with their true intentions hidden in the inner offices.