Chinese word

忽悠

Pronunciation

Pinyinhū yōu

Meaning

  • verbtalk into

Example

他忽悠我买了那件衣服。tā hū yōu wǒ mǎi le nà jiàn yī fú

He talked me into buying that piece of clothing.

Illustration for 忽悠 (talk into)

More examples

别轻信广告，不要被商家忽悠了。bié qīng xìn guǎng gào bú yào bèi shāng jiā hū yōu le

Don't blindly trust advertisements, and don't let businesses fool you.

Core concept

A smooth verbal nudge steers someone into a choice, often with a playful or dishonest edge.

Common phrases

  • 忽悠别人hū yōu bié rén

    deceive others

  • 别被忽悠了bié bèi hū yōu le

    don't be fooled

  • 被骗子忽悠了bèi piàn zi hū yōu le

    be fooled by a scammer

Similar words

骗piàn: Make someone believe a lie or false claim through deception.
说服shuō fú: Persuade someone to change an opinion or action through reasons and explanations.
哄hǒng: Use soothing words, praise, or coaxing to win someone's cooperation.

Definition in Chinese

用言辞或手法说服对方，使其同意或按自己意思行事，常带有调侃或不诚实的意味。yòng yán cí huò shóu fǎ shuō fú duì fāng shǐ qí tóng yì huò àn zì jǐ yì si xíng shì cháng dài yǒu tiáo kǎn huò bù chéng shí de yì wèi

Word origin

忽悠 (hūyōu, "to talk into or deceive") is a northern colloquial verb associated with swaying or rocking, extending physical unsteadiness to the swaying of someone's judgment.

Usage tips

  • The word is more loaded than a friendly English description of persuasion: a light tone can make it teasing, while a serious tone can suggest a misleading pitch.

Other meanings

  • deceiveverb

Opposites

  • 看穿kàn chuānsee throughverb

Word lists with this word