作祟 (zuō) — to haunt; to make mischief; to cause trouble
Definition
作祟 (zuō suì) literally means ghosts or spirits causing trouble, but is used figuratively for hidden forces (jealousy, fear, bias) secretly sabotaging a situation. Often appears in the pattern "…在作祟" to blame an unnamed cause for problems.
verb
to hauntto make mischiefto cause trouble
Examples
- 作祟。Nà ge lǎo fáng zi lǐ yǒu guǐ hún zuō.There are ghosts haunting that old house.
- 作祟。Zhè zhǒng jí dù xīn yì zhí zài àn zhōng zuō.This kind of jealousy has been secretly causing trouble.
- 祟？Tā xīn lǐ zài zuò shén me suì?What mischief is he up to in his mind?
Appears in
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