明知故问 knowingly ask
Explanation
明明知道答案，却故意提问，多用于讽刺挖苦人的场合。
To ask a question while already knowing the answer; often used sarcastically or ironically.
Origin Story
从前，有一个秀才，自以为学问渊博，走到哪里都喜欢卖弄。有一天，他来到一个村庄，看到一群孩子正在玩耍。秀才想在孩子们面前显摆一下自己的学问，于是故意问孩子们：“你们知道太阳为什么每天早上从东方升起，晚上从西方落下吗？”孩子们一听，都愣住了，面面相觑，不知该如何回答。秀才看着孩子们疑惑的表情，得意地笑了，说道：“这个问题很简单，你们这些小毛孩当然不懂。其实，是因为地球自转造成的！”孩子们听了秀才的解释，更加迷惑了。其实，秀才自己也未必完全明白其中的道理，只是想在孩子们面前炫耀一下自己的知识罢了。这个秀才的行为，正说明了“明知故问”的含义：明明知道答案，却故意装作不知道的样子去提问，目的是为了满足自己的虚荣心，或者达到某种目的。
Once upon a time, there was a scholar who thought he was very learned and liked to show off his knowledge everywhere he went. One day, he came to a village and saw a group of children playing. The scholar wanted to show off his knowledge in front of the children, so he deliberately asked them, "Do you know why the sun rises in the east every morning and sets in the west every evening?" The children were all stunned and didn't know how to answer. The scholar looked at the children's puzzled expressions and smiled triumphantly, saying, "This is a simple question, you little kids naturally don't understand. In fact, it's caused by the earth's rotation!" The children were even more confused after hearing the scholar's explanation. In fact, the scholar himself might not fully understand the reason, he just wanted to show off his knowledge in front of the children. This scholar's behavior illustrates the meaning of "mingzhiguwen": knowing the answer but pretending not to know it in order to ask a question, to satisfy one's vanity or to achieve a certain purpose.
Usage
用于形容故意提问，明明知道答案。常用于讽刺挖苦的语境。
Used to describe intentionally asking a question while knowing the answer. Often used in sarcastic or ironic contexts.
Examples
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他明知故问，分明是想试探我的底细。
ta mingzhiguwen, fenming shi xiang shitant wo de dixi
He asked knowingly, clearly wanting to test my details.
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老师明知故问，是想让我们自己思考这个问题。
laoshi mingzhiguwen, shi xiang rang women ziji sikao zhege wenti
The teacher asked knowingly, wanting us to think about the problem ourselves..