TongTong
Sign in

玩弄 (wán nòng) — to play with; to toy with (an object); to trifle with; to dally with (someone's feelings); to resort to; to employ (tricks, tactics) deceptively

Definition

玩弄 (wánnòng) is 'to toy/trifle with' — people (feelings) or tricks. It is more negative and manipulative than the playful 玩/玩耍, and narrower than 耍, which can mean showing off or wielding something.

verb
to play withto toy with (an object)to trifle withto dally with (someone's feelings)to resort toto employ (tricks, tactics) deceptively

Examples

  • 玩弄。
    Tā yì biān sī kǎo yì biān wán nòng shǒu zhōng de bǐ.
    He toyed with the pen in his hand while thinking.
  • 玩弄，。
    Tā xǐ huan wán nòng bié rén de gǎn qíng, zhè hěn bù hǎo.
    He likes to toy with others' feelings; that's not good.
  • 玩弄。
    Tā jīng cháng wán nòng shǒu duàn lái qī piàn bié rén.
    He often employs tricks to deceive others.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

玩wánplay
弄nònghandle

玩 “play” and 弄 “handle” combine to mean toy with or manipulate.

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán玩wán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

玩 pairs 玉 (jade) with 元 (yuán) for sound. The jade part points to toys made of jade.

Open 玩 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.