装神弄鬼

裝神弄鬼
zhuāngshénnòngguǐ
lit. to pretend to be in contact with supernatural beings (idiom); fig. to create a false sense of mystery; to play tricks to deceive or scare others; to engage in hocus-pocus

CEDICT

  1. (figuratively) to deliberately mystify
  2. to deliberately mystify
  3. to dress up as ghosts and spirits (to deceive people)

Wiktionary

  1. 假扮鬼神骗人。《永乐大典戏文三种．宦门子弟错立身．第一二出》：「我舞得，弹得唱得。折莫大擂鼓吹笛，折莫大装神弄鬼，折莫特调当扑旂。」也作「装神扮鬼」、「装神做鬼」。
  2. 玩弄手段或花样来欺骗他人。《红楼梦．第三七回》：「你们别和我装神弄鬼的，什麽事我不知道？」也作「装神扮鬼」、「装神做鬼」。

重編國語辭典

Entry Composition

1 装 zhuāng
  1. adornment
  2. to adorn
  3. dress
  4. clothing
  5. costume (of an actor in a play)
  6. to play a role
  7. to pretend
  8. to install
  9. to fix
  10. to wrap (sth in a bag)
  11. to load
  12. to pack
2 神 shén
  1. god; deity
  2. supernatural; magical; mysterious
  3. spirit; mind; energy
  4. lively; expressive
  5. look; expression
  6. (coll.) awesome; amazing
3 弄鬼 nòngguǐ to underhand; to manipulate a situation dishonestly