baan6 zyu1 sik6 lou5 fu2扮豬食老虎扮猪食老虎
Jyutpingbaan6 zyu1 sik6 lou5 fu2
Yalebaahn jyū sihk lóuh fú
Definition
To pretend to be innocent and harmless to gain someone's trust, and then harm or take advantage of them.
colloquialpeopleslang
How it's used
This idiom describes someone who intentionally hides their true intelligence or capabilities to lower others' guard. It is often used to describe a person who appears weak or harmless but is actually highly competitive or manipulative. Unlike simply being a liar, this implies a strategic, long-term deception to gain an advantage.
Examples
He usually plays the fool, but who knew he was actually so calculating.
You must not let him fool you; he loves playing the innocent to get his way.
Related words
Common phrases
loves to play the innocent to gain an advantage
be careful that he is playing the fool to trick you
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with simply being shy or quiet. Remember that this phrase specifically implies a malicious or self-serving intent to deceive others by appearing incompetent or naive.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
