affect unconventionality; be deliberately perverse
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 2 examplesverb
to deliberately violate common customs or reason to appear unconventional
archaicA classical/literary term describing an affected, contrarian attitude to stand out. Now largely obsolete in modern speech but may be encountered in classical texts or high literary style.
Qí其
wéi为
rén人
yě也
，
hào好
jiǎo嚼
qíng情
lì立
yì异
，
bù不
yǔ与
zhòng众
tóng同
。
As a person, he was fond of affecting unconventionality and standing apart from the crowd.
Cǐ此
nǎi乃
wén文
rén人
jiǎo嚼
qíng情
zhī之
yǔ语
，
bù不
zú足
wéi为
xìn信
。
This is just a literati's deliberately perverse statement, not to be taken seriously.