‘糊弄’ (hù nong) is a colloquial verb meaning to deceive, trick, or mislead someone—often in a casual, superficial, or half-hearted way. Literally, 糊 (hù) means 'to paste' or 'to smear', and 弄 (nòng) means 'to handle' or 'to mess with'; together, they evoke the image of sloppily slapping something together to create a false impression—like covering up a flaw with glue or plaster. It implies insincerity, avoidance of real effort, or deliberate obfuscation rather than outright fraud.

The word is commonly used in informal spoken Chinese, especially when someone gives a flimsy excuse, fakes competence, or dodges responsibility. It carries a mildly disapproving or mocking tone—not as severe as 欺骗 (qīpiàn, ‘to defraud’) but stronger than 敷衍 (fūyǎn, ‘to go through the motions’). You’ll hear it in everyday situations: at work, school, or family life—anywhere people sense someone isn’t being genuine or thorough.