📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone who is evasive and deliberately vague, concealing things in an unclear manner. It implies a lack of straightforwardness and openness in speech or writing, leaving the true meaning hidden or ambiguous.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from 'Abridged Collection of Zhu Xi's Classified Sayings' (《朱子语类辑略》), Volume 7, dating to the Song Dynasty. Zhu Xi, the renowned neo-Confucian philosopher, criticized the writings of various scholars from his hometown as being inevitably evasive and obscure. He argued that when a student comes to ask questions, one should respond directly and plainly rather than hiding one's true meaning.
💡 Example Usage
他说话总是藏头亢脑，让人猜不透真实意图。
He always speaks in an evasive and obscure way, making it impossible to guess his true intentions.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 藏头亢脑
- Pinyin: cáng tóu kàng nǎo
- Literal Translation: hide head, raise brain
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4