煞有介事

shàyǒu-jièshì

idiom

Meanings

1 to make a big show of being serious about something trivial
2 to put on airs of great importance
3 to act as if something really matters (when it doesn't)

Characters

very; really; extremely

Examples

HSK 5

他煞有介事地分析了半天,结论却很平常。

Tā shàyǒu-jièshì de fēnxī le bàntiān, jiélùn què hěn píngcháng.

He analyzed it with great ceremony for ages, but the conclusion was very ordinary.

HSK 6

他煞有介事地清了清嗓子,其实什么也没说。

Tā shàyǒu-jièshì de qīng le qīng sǎngzi, qíshí shénme yě méi shuō.

He theatrically cleared his throat and then said nothing at all.

HSK 6

小孩子煞有介事地摆弄着玩具医疗箱。

Xiǎoháizi shàyǒu-jièshì de bǎinòng zhe wánjù yīliáo xiāng.

The child played with the toy medical kit as if it were the real thing.

Tips

culture

Originally a Jiangsu-Zhejiang dialect expression (吴语 area) meaning ‘as if it were really something’. Written 煞 (shà, ‘very/really’) + 介 here is a dialect filler = ‘this’.

mistakes

煞 is read shà (4th tone) here, not shā (‘to kill’). The alternate writing 像煞有介事 is also seen, but 煞有介事 is the standard four-character form.

Stroke Order

煞 shà

有 yǒu

介 jiè

事 shì