城府

chéngfǔ
  1. subtle
  2. shrewd
  3. sophisticated

CEDICT

  1. (figurative, derogatory) one's (sophisticated and indecipherable) protection of one's own thoughts
  2. (literary) city and government authorities protected by walls and moats
  3. city and government authorities protected by walls and moats
  4. one's (sophisticated and indecipherable) protection of one's own thoughts

Wiktionary

  1. 城邑和衙署。
  2. 比喻人的心机。

重編國語辭典

  1. 喻人心思让人琢磨不透，为人不坦率，心机很深。贬义。
  2. 喻人有心机谋略，思想深沉。褒义。
  3. 官府；院落，府第。

維基詞典

Entry Composition

1 城 chéng
  1. city walls
  2. city
  3. town

classifiers: 座, 道, 個
2 府 fǔ
  1. seat of government
  2. government repository (archive)
  3. official residence
  4. mansion
  5. presidential palace
  6. (honorific) Your home
  7. prefecture (from Tang to Qing times)

Containing this entry

胸有城府 xiōngyǒuchéngfǔ
  1. subtle way of thinking (idiom); hard to fathom
  2. deep and shrewd
胸无城府 xiōngwúchéngfǔ
  1. open and candid (idiom); not hiding anything
  2. ingenuous

Related entries

微妙 wēimiào subtle
那是个微妙的局势。

That's a delicate matter.

Source: Tatoeba

精微 jīngwēi
  1. subtle
  2. profound
幽微 yōuwēi
  1. faint
  2. subtle (of sound, scent etc)
  3. profound
  4. mysterious
  5. dim
细微 xìwēi
  1. tiny
  2. minute
  3. fine
  4. subtle
  5. sensitive (instruments)
猴儿精 hóurjīng
  1. (dialect) shrewd
  2. clever
乖 guāi
  1. (of a child) obedient, well-behaved
  2. clever
  3. shrewd
  4. alert
  5. perverse
  6. contrary to reason
  7. irregular
  8. abnormal
你今天乖嗎？

Did you behave today?

Source: Tatoeba

敏捷 mǐnjié
  1. nimble
  2. quick
  3. shrewd
可怜的猫！ 她无法抓住敏捷的老鼠。

Poor cat! She can't catch the nimble mouse.

Source: Tatoeba

雕 diāo
  1. to carve
  2. to engrave
  3. shrewd
  4. bird of prey
惜秦皇汉武，略输文采；唐宗宋祖，稍逊风骚。一代天骄，成吉思汗，只识弯弓射大雕。俱往矣，数风流人物，还看今朝。

Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, though remarkable in their achievements, somewhat lacked in literary grace; Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song, though commendable in their elegance, still fall slightly short in their brilliance. The proud conqueror, Genghis Khan, knew only how to bend the bow and shoot great eagles. All of them are now bygone, and if you want to count the truly remarkable figures, look to the present age.

Source: Tatoeba

乖觉 guāijué
  1. perceptive
  2. alert
  3. clever
  4. shrewd
世故 shìgu
  1. sophisticated
  2. worldly-wise
练达 liàndá
  1. experienced
  2. sophisticated
  3. worldly-wise
老于世故 lǎoyúshìgù
  1. experienced in the ways of the world (idiom); worldly-wise
  2. sophisticated
风雅 fēngyǎ
  1. cultured
  2. sophisticated
老成 lǎochéng
  1. mature
  2. experienced
  3. sophisticated