min6 mung2 sam1 zeng1面懵心精
Jyutpingmin6 mung2 sam1 zeng1
Yalemihn múng sām jēng
Definition
To appear or pretend to be foolish but actually be very smart or cunning.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This phrase describes a specific type of social strategy where someone deliberately lowers expectations by appearing naive or slow. It is often used to describe someone who avoids trouble or gains an advantage by letting others underestimate their intelligence. Unlike simply being smart, this carries a nuance of calculated deception or self-protection.
Examples
He acts like a fool but is actually very sharp, how could he be easily deceived?
Related words
Common phrases
to pretend to be foolish while being sharp
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe someone who is genuinely slow or unintelligent. It specifically requires the subject to be intentionally feigning ignorance for a strategic purpose.
Grammar color guide
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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).
