Meaning:

Literally translated as “Life is like a play, and it all depends on the acting,” this saying is coined by Chinese netizens to express their frustration about people not revealing their true feelings and intentions in life. People also use the line to mock someone or something that is believed to be a fraud or hypocrite.

Example:

A: 你前段时间买的那只股票最近涨了不少啊。

Nǐ qiánduàn shíjiān mǎi de nàzhī gǔpiào zuìjìn zhǎng le bùshǎo a。

The price of the stock you recently bought has soared.

B: 我打算这两天卖掉呢。

Wǒ dǎsuàn zhèliǎngtiān màidiào ne。

I’m considering selling it now.

A: 为什么？不是说这家公司有个新项目投产，今年收入会大幅增长吗？

Wèi shénme？Búshì shuō zhèjiā gōngsī yǒu ge xīn xiàngmù tóuchǎn，jīnnián shōurù huì dàfú zēngzhǎng ma？

Why? Didn’t the company just put into operation a new project that will drastically boost its revenues this year?

B: 人生如戏，全靠演技。说实话，我表示怀疑。

Rénshēng rúxì，quánkào yǎnjì。Shuō shíhuà，wǒ biǎoshì huáiyí。

Life is like a play, and it all depends on the acting. To be honest, I doubt it’ll succeed.