舞文弄墨 (wǔ wén lòng) — to pervert the law by playing with words; to use legal chicanery; to show off one's literary skill; to engage in word-mongering for effect
Definition
An idiom for twisting words to mislead, often twisting the law through clever wording or showing off fancy writing without substance. The two senses (legal trickery vs. literary showing off) are typically set by context.
idiom
to pervert the law by playing with wordsto use legal chicaneryto show off one's literary skillto engage in word-mongering for effect
Examples
- 舞文弄墨，。Tā kào wǔ wén lòng, táo guò le fǎ lǜ de chéng fá.He relied on legal chicanery to escape punishment.
- ，舞文弄墨。Zhè piān wén zhāng méi yǒu rèn hé shí zhì nèi róng, zhǐ shì zài wǔ wén lòng.This article has no substance; it's just word-mongering.
- 舞文弄墨，。Tā xǐ huan wǔ wén lòng, dàn xiě chū lái de dōng xī méi shén me shēn dù.He likes to show off his writing, but what he writes has no depth.
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