故弄玄虚 (gù nòng xuán xū) — to deliberately mystify; to be intentionally obscure or pretentious

Definition

A chengyu for deliberately making something sound mysterious or complicated when it isn't — a kind of pretentious bluff. Often carries a critical or dismissive tone toward the speaker or writer.

idiom
to deliberately mystifyto be intentionally obscure or pretentious

Examples

  • 故弄玄虚，。
    Tā shuō huà zǒng shì gù nòng xuán xū, ràng rén tīng bù dǒng.
    He always speaks in a deliberately mystifying way, making people unable to understand.
  • 故弄玄虚，。
    Bié gù nòng xuán xū le, zhí jiē gào sù wǒ men dá àn ba.
    Stop being deliberately mysterious and just tell us the answer.
  • 故弄玄虚，。
    Zhè piān wén zhāng gù nòng xuán xū, qí shí nèi róng hěn kōng dòng.
    This article is deliberately mystifying, but actually its content is very hollow.

Origin

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ故gù
Same sound today

故 uses 古 for the sound and 攵, written in full as 攴, for the meaning.

Open 故 →

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

The form 弄 combines 玉 (jade) with 廾 (hands), showing hands touching or handling jade.

Open 弄 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The shape of 玄 represents a rope made of twisted strands, with a mark above it.

Open 玄 →

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 虛; 虚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
丘丘qiūhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū虛xū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 虛 pairs the upper 虍, which gives the sound, with a lower part shaped like 丘, 'hill'; the simplified 虚 is a later shorthand.

Open 虚 →

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