📖 Meaning
To pretend to be deaf and mute, feigning ignorance of something one actually knows. It describes someone who deliberately avoids acknowledging or responding to a situation, acting as though they are unaware. The idiom conveys a willful refusal to engage or take responsibility.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not trace back to a specific classical text or historical anecdote. It is a descriptive compound formed from everyday Chinese vocabulary, combining 推聋 (to feign deafness) and 妆哑 (to feign muteness). The expression draws on the universal metaphor of sensory impairment to depict deliberate ignorance. It has been used in vernacular literature and common speech to criticize evasive behavior. Similar constructions appear across various regional dialects and literary traditions.
💡 Example Usage
面对记者的追问，那位官员推聋妆哑，什么都不肯说。
Faced with the reporter's pressing questions, the official feigned deafness and ignorance, refusing to say anything.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 推聋妆哑
- Pinyin: tuī lóng zhuāng yǎ
- Literal Translation: push deaf, pretend dumb
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4