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世故

shì gù

HSK 7–9

Meaning

  • the ways of the world
  • sophisticated
  • worldly-wise

Definition

处世经验丰富，通晓人情世故; 圆滑，不坦诚。

Worldly-wise, sophisticated, experienced in social affairs; also can mean slick or cunning.

Usage

用于形容一个人对人情冷暖、社会规则非常了解，处理人际关系圆滑老练。有时带贬义，指过于圆滑而缺乏真诚。

Used to describe someone who is very experienced in social affairs and handles interpersonal relationships with diplomacy. Sometimes pejorative, implying being too slick and lacking sincerity.

Examples

  • 1 他年纪轻轻却非常世故，说话做事都很周到。 (Although young, he is very worldly-wise, careful in his words and actions.)
  • 2 这个商人很世故，知道如何跟各种人打交道。 (This businessman is very sophisticated, knowing how to deal with all kinds of people.)
  • 3 她讨厌那些世故圆滑的人，更喜欢直爽的朋友。 (She dislikes those slick and smooth people, preferring straightforward friends.)
  • 4 经历了许多事，他变得世故多了。 (After going through many things, he became much more worldly-wise.)
  • 5 不要总是用世故的眼光看问题，有时候简单一点更好。 (Don't always look at problems with a worldly-wise eye; sometimes it's better to be simpler.)

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