Word information
Simplified卖乖
Traditional賣乖
Pinyinmài guāi
Part of speechDictionary
HSK 3.0Not listed
HSK 2.0Not listed
Chinese word dictionary
卖乖
mài guāi · to show off one's cleverness; (of sb who has received beneficial treatment) to profess to have been hard done by
Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 卖乖
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Related vocabulary
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
卖mài
to sell; to betray; to spare no effort; to show off or flaunt
外卖wàimài(of a restaurant) to provide a takeout or home delivery meal; takeout (business); takeout (meal)
买卖mǎimaipurchase and sale; transaction; shop; store
出卖chūmàito offer for sale; to sell; to sell out; to betray
贩卖fànmàito sell; to peddle; to traffic
乖guāi(of a child) obedient, well-behaved; clever; shrewd; alert; perverse; contrary to reason; irregular; abnormal