明知做戏
[míng zhī zuò xì]
明知做戏 (Míng zhī zuò xì) translates to '明知' - knowing very well, and '做戏' - putting on an act. It describes the state of doing things even if they know these acts are false and won't lead to any outcome. It's somewhat like saying 'to continue playing along even though everyone knows it’s just pretend.'