强作解人 qiǎng zuò jiě rén pretend to understand

Explanation

指不明真意而乱发议论。比喻对某事物不了解，却装作很懂的样子，随意评论，往往会出错。

Refers to someone who makes random comments without understanding the true meaning. It describes someone who doesn't understand something, but pretends to, and comments arbitrarily, often leading to mistakes.

Origin Story

东晋时期，谢安年轻时对战国时期赵国公孙龙著的《白马论》不能理解，就去向金紫光禄大夫阮裕请教。阮裕写了一篇解说《白马论》的文章交给谢安。谢安对他的解说文更加看不明白，又去请教他。阮裕自叹道：‘非但能言人不可得，正索解人亦不得。’这便是“强作解人”的典故。谢安虽为名士，但在面对复杂难懂的《白马论》时，也无法真正理解其含义，更无法做到准确地解释。而阮裕虽然试图解释，却依然无法让谢安满意，这说明有些问题并非轻易就能解释清楚，也并非任何人都能轻易解读。这故事告诉我们，在面对自己不熟悉的领域或问题时，谦虚谨慎的态度更为重要，切忌盲目自信，强作解人。

dōng jìn shíqī, xiè ān nián qīng shí duì zhànguó shíqī zhào guó gōngsūn lóng zhù de 《báimǎ lùn》 bù néng lǐjiě, jiù qù xiàng jīn zǐ guānglù dàfū ruǎn yù qǐngjiào. ruǎn yù xiě le yī piān jiěshuō 《báimǎ lùn》 de wénzhāng jiāo gěi xiè ān. xiè ān duì tā de jiěshuō wén gèngjiā kàn bù míngbai, yòu qù qǐngjiào tā. ruǎn yù zì tàn dào: ‘fēi dàn néng yán rén bù kě dé, zhèng suǒ jiě rén yì bù dé.’ zhè biàn shì “qiǎng zuò jiě rén” de diǎngù. xiè ān suī wèi míngshì, dàn zài miàn duì fùzá nándǒng de 《báimǎ lùn》 shí, yě wúfǎ zhēnzhèng lǐjiě qí hànyì, gèng wúfǎ zuòdào zhǔnquè de jiěshì. ér ruǎn yù suīrán shìtú jiěshì, què yīrán wúfǎ ràng xiè ān mǎnyì, zhè shuōmíng yǒuxiē wèntí bìng fēi qīngyì jiù néng jiěshì qīngchǔ, yě bìng fēi rènhé rén dōu néng qīngyì jiědú. zhè gùshì gàosù wǒmen, zài miàn duì zìjǐ bù shúxī de lǐngyù huò wèntí shí, qiānxū jǐn shèn de tàidu gèng wéi zhòngyào, qiē jì mángmù zìxìn, qiǎng zuò jiě rén.

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Xie An, when young, failed to understand Gongsun Long's "On the White Horse" from the Warring States period, and went to ask the high-ranking official Ruan Yu for an explanation. Ruan Yu wrote an article explaining "On the White Horse" and gave it to Xie An. Xie An still couldn't understand his explanation and asked him again. Ruan Yu sighed: "Not only is it difficult to find someone who can explain well, but it is also difficult to find someone who understands the explanation." This is the anecdote of "pretending to understand". Although Xie An was a famous scholar, he couldn't really understand the complex and difficult-to-understand "On the White Horse", let alone accurately explain it. Although Ruan Yu tried to explain it, he still couldn't satisfy Xie An, which shows that some problems are not easily explained, nor can everyone easily interpret them. This story tells us that a humble and cautious attitude is more important when faced with unfamiliar fields or problems. Avoid being blindly confident and pretending to understand.

Usage

常用来形容对某事物不了解，却装作很懂的样子，随意评论，往往会出错。

cháng yòng lái xíngróng duì mǒu shìwù bù lěujiě, què zhuāng zuò hěn dǒng de yàngzi, suíyì pínglùn, wǎngwǎng huì chūcuò

Often used to describe someone who doesn't understand something, but pretends to, and comments arbitrarily, often leading to mistakes.

Examples

• 他总是强作解人，评论别人的作品，结果总是闹笑话。

  tā zǒng shì qiǎng zuò jiě rén, pínglùn biérén de zuòpǐn, jiéguǒ zǒng shì nào xiàohua

  He always pretends to understand and comments on other people's works, which always results in jokes.

• 对于自己不了解的事情，不要强作解人，以免贻笑大方。

  duìyú zìjǐ bù lěujiě de shìqíng, bùyào qiǎng zuò jiě rén, yǐmiǎn yíxiào dàfang

  Don't pretend to understand things you don't understand, lest you make a fool of yourself..

Related Idioms

• 妄加评论

• 胡乱猜测

Opposite Idioms

• 深入研究

• 知己知彼