鬼鬼祟祟
guǐguǐsuìsuì
The English word "sneaky" can be translated into Chinese as 鬼鬼祟祟 (guǐguǐsuìsuì), which means dishonest or deceitful.
鬼鬼祟祟 is used to describe physical movements that appear suspicious or secretive, such as in the phrase 鬼鬼祟祟地走, meaning "to walk sneakily".
Meaning: dishonest, deceitful (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
To use this adjective as an adverb to describe an action, add the particle 地 after the phrase, forming 鬼鬼祟祟地 (sneakily).
How do you pronounce it?
guǐguǐsuìsuì
Did you know?
- The phrase 鬼鬼祟祟 is built around the character 鬼, which means 'ghost' or 'spirit'. It literally evokes the image of someone acting like a ghost or a phantom to avoid being seen.
- The character 祟 in 鬼鬼祟祟 specifically refers to the mischief or disasters caused by haunting spirits.
- While 鬼鬼祟祟 describes suspicious movement, the term 心机 is used to describe the 'sneaky' internal calculation and plotting of a person's mind.
Examples in context
- 他总是用狡诈的手段来达到自己的目的。He always achieves his goals through cunning means.
- 他老是搞一些狡猾的把戏。He always plays cunning tricks.
- 她的做事方式很奸诈，从不择手段。Her way of doing things is very treacherous, she never hesitates to use any means necessary.
- 她做事总是耍小聪明，总想占别人便宜。She always tries to be sneaky and take advantage of others.
- 那个人看起来鬼鬼祟祟的。Nàge rén kàn qǐlái guǐguǐsuìsuì de.That person looks sneaky.
- 他总是有鬼鬼祟祟的行为。Tā zǒng shì yǒu guǐguǐsuìsuì de xíngwéi.He always has sneaky behavior.
- 不要鬼鬼祟祟地走来走去。Bùyào guǐguǐsuìsuì de zǒu lái zǒu qù.Don't walk around in a sneaky way.
Example conversation
Two coworkers are discussing a suspicious man in the office hallway.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你看到那个新来的同事了吗？Nǐ kàndào nàge xīn lái de tóngshì le ma?Did you see that new colleague?
- 志强 Zhiqiang看到了，他举止鬼鬼祟祟的。Kàndào le, tā jǔzhǐ guǐguǐsuìsuì de.I saw him, his manner is very sneaky.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我也觉得他很不自然。Wǒ yě juéde tā hěn bù zìrán.I also think he is very unnatural.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我们要小心一点。Wǒmen yào xiǎoxīn yīdiǎn.We should be a bit careful.
