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装腔作势 (zhuāng qiāng zuò shì) — to be affected or pretentious; to strike a pose

Definition

A chengyu meaning to put on airs and strike a fake pose — someone acting pretentiously to seem more important or talented than they are. Strongly negative; implies the behavior is obvious and insincere.

idiom
to be affected or pretentiousto strike a pose

Examples

  • 装腔作势，。
    Tā zài lǐng dǎo miàn qián zǒng shì zhuāng qiāng zuò shì, ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
    He always puts on airs in front of the leaders, which makes people very uncomfortable.
  • 装腔作势，。
    Bié zhuāng qiāng zuò shì le, dà jiā dōu liǎo jiě nǐ de zhēn shí shuǐ píng.
    Stop being pretentious — everyone knows your real level.
  • 。
    Tā shuō huà shí zhuāng qiāng zuò shì de yàng zi zhēn kě xiào.
    His affected manner when speaking is really ridiculous.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

装腔pretend a tone
装zhuāngpretend腔qiāngtone
动宾Verb + object
作势make a pose
作zuòmake势shìpose
动宾Verb + object

装腔 and 作势 both put on a tone or pose, so the whole conveys affected pretentiousness.

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 →

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

腔 is made from 肉 (meat; flesh) plus 空 (empty; hollow), where 空 supplies the sound.

Open 腔 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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