装疯卖傻 (zhuāng fēng mài shǎ) — to play the fool, to pretend to be crazy or stupid (to deceive or avoid something)
Definition
Four-character idiom meaning to deliberately act crazy or stupid — to dodge responsibility, avoid trouble, or deceive others. The first character 装 means 'to pretend,' so it always implies deliberate fakery, not real confusion.
idiom
to play the foolto pretend to be crazy or stupid (to deceive or avoid something)
Examples
- ，装疯卖傻，。Tā míng míng zhī dào dá àn, què zài nà lǐ zhuāng fēng mài shǎ, bù kěn shuō.He clearly knows the answer, but he's playing the fool there and won't say it.
- 装疯卖傻，。Bié zhuāng fēng mài shǎ le, nǐ xīn lǐ bǐ shuí dōu qīng chǔ.Stop pretending to be stupid — you know better than anyone in your heart.
- 装疯卖傻。Tā kào zhuāng fēng mài shǎ duǒ guò le hěn duō má fan shì.He avoided a lot of trouble by playing the fool.
Appears in
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