卖乖 (mài guāi) — to show off one's cleverness (often annoyingly); to act cute to gain an advantage

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning to act cute or show off one's cleverness in order to win favor. Usually carries a negative tone — the person comes across as insincere or annoying.

verb
to show off one's cleverness (often annoyingly)to act cute to gain an advantage

Examples

  • 卖乖。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan zài bié rén miàn qián mài guāi.
    He always likes to show off his cleverness in front of others.
  • ，。
    Zuó tiān tā zài huì yì shàng mài le yí gè guāi, dà jiā dōu hěn gān gà.
    Yesterday he pulled a clever trick at the meeting, and everyone was embarrassed.
  • ，。
    Tā mài le bàn tiān guāi, zuì hòu shuí yě méi lǐ tā.
    He acted cute for a long time, but in the end nobody paid him any attention.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

卖màisell
乖guāicleverness

卖乖 pictures 卖 as offering 乖, so showing off cleverness or charm.

Characters in this word

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 乖 →

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