装糊涂 (zhuāng hú tu) — to play dumb, to feign ignorance

Definition

Verb phrase meaning to deliberately act confused in order to dodge responsibility or avoid an awkward question. Often paired with 装 (pretend) and shows the speaker believes the other person really knows the answer.

verb
to play dumbto feign ignorance

Examples

  • 装糊涂，。
    Bié gēn wǒ zhuāng hú tu le, nǐ míng míng zhī dào dá àn.
    Don't play dumb with me — you clearly know the answer.
  • ，。
    Tā zhuāng le yí cì hú tu, bǎ zé rèn tuī gěi le bié rén.
    He played dumb once and shifted the blame onto someone else.
  • ，装糊涂。
    Lǎo bǎn wèn shuí fàn le cuò, dà jiā dōu kāi shǐ zhuāng hú tu.
    When the boss asked who made the mistake, everyone started playing dumb.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

装zhuāngpretend
糊涂confused
糊hú涂tú

装 means pretend, while 糊涂 describes being confused; together they mean play dumb.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng裝zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
胡
胡hú糊hú
Same sound today

糊 pairs 米 (rice) with 胡 (hú), which gives the sound. The 米 part relates to the meaning.

Open 糊 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú涂tú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

涂 has 氵 on the left, a form of 水 meaning water, and 余 on the right for the sound.

Open 涂 →

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