做鬼 (zuò guǐ) — to play tricks, to do something underhanded; (in 做鬼脸) to make a face

Definition

Refers to playing tricks or scheming behind the scenes — acting dishonestly rather than openly. Almost always appears in contexts like 别做鬼了 ('stop playing tricks') or 在背后做鬼 ('plot behind people's backs').

verb
to play tricksto do something underhanded(in 做鬼脸) to make a face

Examples

  • 做鬼，。
    Tā zǒng zài bèi hòu zuò guǐ, dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huan tā.
    He's always playing tricks behind people's backs; nobody likes him.
  • 做鬼，。
    Bié zuò guǐ le, hǎo hǎo zuò shì ba.
    Stop playing tricks and just do your work properly.
  • ，。
    Tā zuò le yí cì guǐ, jiù bèi fā xiàn le.
    He played a trick once and got caught right away.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

做zuòdo
鬼guǐghost

做 do and 鬼 ghost suggest doing something sneaky.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 做 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

Open 鬼 →

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