Definition

1. Verb:
   • To act a part (in a play): To perform a role in a theatrical production.
   • To put on an act / to pretend: To behave in a false or deceptive way to create a specific impression, not in a theatrical context.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy đóng kịch rất hay trên sân khấu. (She acts very well on stage.)
  • Nó đang đóng kịch giả vờ bị ốm để không phải đi học. (He is putting on an act, pretending to be sick so he doesn't have to go to school.)
  • Đừng tin anh ta, anh ta chỉ đang đóng kịch thôi. (Don't believe him; he's just pretending.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used in a negative or critical sense to describe insincere or manipulative behavior in daily life.
  • Họ đóng kịch khóc lóc để gây sự thương hại. (They put on an act of crying to elicit pity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Diễn kịch (v): to perform a play. This is a close synonym, more neutral and focused on the theatrical performance itself.

  • Đoàn nghệ thuật sẽ diễn kịch tại nhà hát lớn. (The troupe will perform a play at the grand theater.)

• Giả vờ (v): to pretend. A more general term for feigning, without the theatrical connotation.

  • Nó giả vờ nghe lời. (He pretends to be obedient.)

Synonyms

• To act: To perform a role.
• To pretend: To behave so as to make others believe something that is not true.
• To feign: To pretend to be affected by a feeling or state.

Related Idioms

• Đóng kịch giả nai: Literally "to act like a deer," meaning to play innocent or play dumb.
  • Cô ấy biết rất rõ nhưng cứ đóng kịch giả nai. (She knows perfectly well but keeps playing dumb.)

1. Act a part (in a play)
2. Put on an act
   • Đóng kịch để chiếm lấy cái gì của ai
     To put on an act to dispossess someone of something