弄虚作假
nòng xū zuò jiǎ · HSK 7
to practice fraud
🎭🃏 弄虚 handle-the-false + 作假 make-the-fake = work fraud by trickery
Two verb-object pairs stacked: 弄 manipulate + 虚 emptiness/falsehood, then 作 produce + 假 the fake. Both halves mean rigging something untrue, so the four together intensify into deliberate fraud and deception.
弄 — 廾 (two hands) + 玉 (jade)
Originally a pictograph of two hands holding a piece of jade, showing someone playing with or handling a precious object. The meaning extended from 'to play with' to 'to handle, manipulate, or do.' Today it commonly means to do, make, or fool around with something.
虚 — tiger radical 虍 + hill 丘 (now 业)
Originally depicted a large mound or hill where tigers (虍) roamed, written with 虍 over 丘. Because such high places were often deserted, the meaning shifted from 'big hill' to 'empty, void, vacant,' and by extension 'unreal' or 'humble.' The bottom 丘 was later simplified to 业.
作 — person radical 亻 + 乍
作 combines the person radical 亻 with 乍, which originally depicted a sudden action or making something. The character means 'to do, make, or create,' with 亻 indicating human activity and 乍 supplying the sound. Over time it broadened to cover works, deeds, and acting as something.
假 — person radical 亻 + 叚 (borrow)
假 combines the person radical 亻 with 叚, which originally meant 'to borrow' and provides the sound. The core idea is a person borrowing something, which extended to 'borrowed,' 'not real,' or 'fake.' From there it also developed the meaning 'leave/vacation' (time borrowed away from work).