Definition
矫揉造作 is a four-character idiom (成语) that literally means 'to straighten and bend artificially' — it describes behavior, speech, or art that is forced, unnatural, and deliberately affected. You use it to criticize someone who is trying too hard to impress or appear elegant, resulting in a fake or contrived impression. It's always negative in tone.
f.e.
affectedartificialpretentious (of behavior, speech, or style)
Examples
- 矫揉造作，。Tā de biǎoyǎn tài guò jiǎo róu zào zuò, guānzhòng yì yǎn jiù néng kàn chūlái.Her performance was too affected — the audience could tell at a glance.
- 矫揉造作，。Zhè piān wénzhāng yǔyán jiǎo róu zào zuò, dú qǐlái hěn bù zìrán.This article's language is pretentious and reads very unnaturally.
- ，矫揉造作。Tā shuōhuà shí zǒng ài yòng yìxiē shēngpì cí, xiǎnde shífēn jiǎo róu zào zuò.He always likes to use obscure words when speaking, which makes him seem very affected.
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