Definitions

yáng to feign; to pretend

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 佯 is structured as a phono-semantic compound with the person radical 亻 on the left, indicating association with human behavior, and the component 羊 on the right, which primarily provides phonetic guidance. Its core meaning of pretending or feigning has been associated with deceptive human actions since early textual evidence, and this semantic value has persisted without major shifts. The character's form has not altered, and it does not possess separate simplified or traditional variants, with its usage consistently seen in compounds like 佯装 and 佯攻 to convey acts of simulation.

Example Sentences Hide

装不知道。

Tā yángzhuāng bù zhīdào.

He pretended not to know.

小猫装在睡觉。

Xiǎo māo yángzhuāng zài shuìjiào.

The kitten pretended to be sleeping.

装高兴地笑了。

Tā yángzhuāng gāoxìng de xiào le.

She pretended to be happy and smiled.

士兵们攻敌人阵地。

Shìbīngmen yánggōng dírén zhèndì.

The soldiers feigned an attack on the enemy position.

装生病以逃避考试。

Tā yángzhuāng shēngbìng yǐ táobì kǎoshì.

He pretended to be sick to avoid the exam.

在谈判中,他装不满意的样子。

Zài tánpàn zhōng, tā yángzhuāng bù mǎnyì de yàngzi.

During the negotiation, he pretended to be dissatisfied.

为了迷惑对手,球队装要传球。

Wèile míhuò duìshǒu, qiúduì yángzhuāng yào chuánqiú.

To confuse the opponent, the team pretended to pass the ball.

尽管内心紧张,他仍装镇定地发言。

Jǐnguǎn nèixīn jǐnzhāng, tā réng yángzhuāng zhèndìng de fāyán.

Despite being nervous inside, he still pretended to be calm and spoke.