到底这葫芦里
“(What are they)”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
掖掖藏藏
“(and trying to hide something.)”
到底 这葫芦里
“(What are they)”
卖的是什么药呢
“(actually trying to achieve?)”
“What on earth is that person secretly plotting behind our backs?”
In ancient China, itinerant apothecaries kept their herbs inside dried gourds so nobody knew what medicine they dispensed; today, it is standard idiom for suspecting someone's secret motives.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
on earth; after all; in the end
Placed before interrogatives or subjects to demand a clear answer or intensify curiosity.
inside the gourd
First half of the famous idiom '葫芦里卖的什么药' (what medicine is sold in the gourd), meaning hidden intentions.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“What exactly is your game? Why are you nervous?”
“What in the world are they planning?”
“what you're really up to?”
“I don't know what she's up to.”
“I wonder what he's up to.”
“really up to.”