不懂装懂
bù dǒng zhuāng dǒng
to pretend to understand
Character by character
不bù
not
not
懂dǒng
understand
understand
装zhuāng
pretend
pretend
懂dǒng
understand
understand
Example
不懂就问，千万别不懂装懂。
If you don't understand, ask. Never pretend you do.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
Classic advice to learners, often paired with 不懂就问.
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