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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 fool, to 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.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

装疯pretend madness
装zhuāngpretend疯fēngmadness
动宾Verb + object
卖傻show off foolishness
卖màishow off傻shǎfoolishness
动宾Verb + object

装疯 means pretend madness and 卖傻 means show off foolishness, so the idiom means to act crazy or stupid.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng裝zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 瘋; 疯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒Written in full as病bìng
Sound part声符shēngfú
風
風fēng瘋fēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 瘋 pairs 疒 (illness) with 風 as a sound part; the simplified 疯 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not a historical sound part.

Open 疯 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 賣; 卖 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 賣 came from an older shape that joined 出 (go out) with 買 (buy), which gives the sound. The simplified 卖 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 卖 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 傻 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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