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.
- ，。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.
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