Definition
捣鬼 means 'to play tricks' or 'to sow discord behind someone's back'. It's a separable verb (离合词): the object 鬼 can separate from 捣 when inserting a measure word, duration, or question word — for example, 捣什么鬼 (what tricks are you up to?) or 捣了一次鬼 (played a trick once). Use it for sneaky, underhanded behavior in informal contexts.
v.o.
to play tricksto cause mischiefto sow discordto gossip maliciously
Examples
- 捣鬼，。Tā zǒng zài bèihòu dǎo guǐ, dàjiā dōu bù xǐhuan tā.He's always playing tricks behind people's backs; nobody likes him.
- ？！Nǐmen zài dǎo shénme guǐ? Kuài shuō!What tricks are you up to? Tell me now!
- ，。Tā dǎo le yí cì guǐ, jiéguǒ bèi fāxiàn le.He pulled a trick once, and ended up getting caught.
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