搔首弄姿 sāo shǒu nòng zī to pose

Explanation

形容装腔作势，卖弄风情。

describes someone who is affected and coquettish.

Origin Story

话说古代有个美丽的女子名叫香儿，她天生丽质，舞姿翩翩。但她为人骄傲自满，常常在众人面前搔首弄姿，以吸引众人的目光。一次，村里举办庙会，香儿特意打扮得花枝招展，在人群中搔首弄姿，引来许多人驻足观看。但她过分卖弄风情，反而让人觉得做作，反感。一位年长的村妇见到这一幕，叹了口气，对香儿说："姑娘，真正的美丽是自然流露的，而不是刻意装扮出来的。你如此搔首弄姿，只会让人觉得你轻浮，反而失去自身的魅力。"

huà shuō gǔdài yǒu gè měilì de nǚzǐ míng jiào xiāng ér, tā tiānshēng lìzhì, wǔzī piānpian. dàn tā wéirén jiāo'ào zìmǎn, chángcháng zài zhòngrén miànqián sāo shǒu nòng zī, yǐ xīyǐn zhòngrén de mùguāng. yī cì, cūn lǐ jǔbàn miàohuì, xiāng ér tèyì dǎbàn de huāzhī zhāozhǎn, zài rénqún zhōng sāo shǒu nòng zī, yǐn lái xǔduō rén zhùzú guān kàn. dàn tā guòfèn màinòng fēngqíng, fǎn'ér ràng rén juéde zuòzuò, fǎngǎn. yī wèi niáncháng de cūnfū jiàndào zhè yìmù, tànle kǒuxī, duì xiāng ér shuō: 'gūniang, zhēnzhèng de měilì shì zìrán liúlù de, ér bùshì kèyì zhuāngbàn chū lái de. nǐ rúcǐ sāo shǒu nòng zī, zhǐ huì ràng rén juéde nǐ qīngfú, fǎn'ér shīqù zìshēn de měilì.'

Once upon a time, in ancient China, there was a beautiful woman named Xiang'er, known for her natural beauty and graceful dance. However, she was proud and often showed off in front of others, trying to attract attention. One day, there was a temple fair in the village. Xiang'er, dressed in her finest clothes, strutted through the crowd, trying to catch people's eyes. But her excessive attempts to impress made her seem pretentious and distasteful. An elderly woman in the village sighed and said to Xiang'er, "My dear girl, true beauty shines naturally, not through artificial embellishment. Your excessive posing will make you appear frivolous and ultimately diminish your own charm."

Usage

用作谓语、定语；形容装腔作势，卖弄风情。

yòng zuò wèiyǔ, dìngyǔ; xiáoróng zhuāng qiāng zuò shì, màinòng fēngqíng

Used as a predicate and attributive; describes someone who is affected and coquettish.

Examples

• 她总是搔首弄姿，想要吸引别人的注意。

  tā zǒngshì sāo shǒu nòng zī, xiǎng yào xīyǐn biérén de zhùyì

  She always poses to attract attention.

• 舞台上的演员搔首弄姿，尽情表演。

  wǔtái shàng de yǎnyuán sāo shǒu nòng zī, jǐnqíng biǎoyǎn

  The actors on stage pose and perform with passion.

Related Idioms

• 装腔作势

• 扭捏作态

Opposite Idioms

• 落落大方

• 自然洒脱