Kilo Lingo

(shuǎ) - to play, to play with, to play tricks, to show off in Mandarin

shuǎ

Traditional: 耍

Line drawing of 耍
Coloured illustration of 耍
#1904 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

to play, to play with, to play tricks, to show off

Word origin

A compound of 而 (ér, a beard radical here used as a phonetic-like element) over 女 (nǚ, woman), traditionally read as fooling about or playing, with the modern sense of playing or playing tricks.

Origin
compound
Root
而 (ér) + 女 (nǚ, woman)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 耍

Examples

The children are playing in the yard.

Do not even think about tricking me.

He likes to show off his cleverness in front of his friends.

The street performer is doing acrobatics.

Stop throwing a tantrum.

耍 (shuǎ) means to play or to amuse oneself, and in many contexts to play tricks on someone or to show off. It is more colloquial than 玩 and often carries a slightly mischievous tone.

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Mandarin · Free printables

耍: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "耍" (to play, to play with, to play tricks, to show off): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 39.