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鬼把戏 (guǐ bǎ xì) — sinister plot; dirty trick

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'dirty trick' or 'sinister scheme' — 鬼 hints at something sneaky or shady, 把戏 is a 'trick' or 'gimmick'. Used for underhanded ploys, not for skillful or clever moves.

noun
sinister plotdirty trick

Examples

  • 鬼把戏。
    Tā shuǎ le yí gè guǐ bǎ xì.
    He played a dirty trick.
  • 鬼把戏。
    Wǒ men shí pò le tā de guǐ bǎ xì.
    We saw through his sinister plot.
  • 鬼把戏。
    Zhè ge guǐ bǎ xì tài míng xiǎn le.
    This dirty trick is too obvious.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

鬼guǐghost
把戏trick
把bǎgrasp戏xìplay
动宾Verb + object

鬼 and 把戏 combine to mean a sinister trick.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

Open 鬼 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
巴
巴bā把bǎ
Same sound today

把 combines 扌, a hand, with 巴 for its sound.

Open 把 →

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 戲; 戏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gēhalberd
Sound part声符shēngfú
䖒
䖒䖒戲xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 戲, the shape combines 戈 (halberd) with 䖒, which gives the sound; the word originally meant an army's wing or flank. The simplified 戏 is a later shorthand, not the form described here.

Open 戏 →
Appears in
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