城府 (chéng fǔ) — shrewdness, subtlety (in one's character); dept…

Definition

Refers to a person's hidden shrewdness or mental depth — usually with 很深 or 不浅, describing someone whose real thoughts are hard to read. Implies calculation and reserve, generally neutral-to-negative.

noun

shrewdnesssubtlety (in one's character)depth of calculation or mental reserve

Examples

城府，。
Tā zhè ge rén chéng fǔ hěn shēn, nǐ hěn nán cāi tòu tā zài xiǎng shén me.
He is a very shrewd person — it's hard to guess what he's thinking.
，城府，。
Suī rán tā nián jì bú dà, dàn chéng fǔ bù qiǎn, zuò shì hěn yǒu fēn cùn.
Although she's young, she's quite subtle and handles things with good judgment.
，城府。
Zài guān chǎng shàng, méi yǒu chéng fǔ de rén hěn nán shēng cún.
In official circles, people without shrewdness find it hard to survive.