奸诈

• Pinyin: jiān zhà
• Hanzi breakdown: 奸 = 女 + 干 (woman + to do/act — historical connotation of illicit or treacherous conduct); 诈 = 讠+ 乍 (speech radical + sudden — deceptive, sudden-shift speech)

Meaning

Cunning; crafty; treacherous; deceitful; sly. Describes a person or their behaviour as dishonestly manipulative and fundamentally untrustworthy.

Carries strong moral condemnation. 奸诈 implies not merely cleverness but active, malicious deception and a willingness to betray trust. Commonly used in historical narratives, character assessments, and social commentary. Often contrasted with 忠厚 (honest and sincere).

Examples

1. 他看似老实厚道，实际上却心机深沉、奸诈狡猾，令同事防不胜防。 He looks honest and decent, but in fact he’s calculating and devious, leaving his coworkers constantly on guard.
2. 历史上这类奸诈小人往往善于伪装，以忠诚之名行欺骗之实。 Throughout history, people like this have often been skilled at disguising themselves—deceiving others in the name of loyalty.
3. 侦探小说中的反派通常被塑造为极度奸诈的形象，以反衬主角的正直。 In detective novels, the villain is often portrayed as extremely cunning to highlight the protagonist’s integrity.

Usage Guide

Context: character assessment, historical narratives, social commentary, literature

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 在商业竞争中，企业要识别奸诈手段，防止对手借信息操纵损害利益。(In business competition, companies must identify deceptive tactics to prevent rivals from using information manipulation to damage their interests.)
• 这位政客表面上以亲民形象示人，但其背后奸诈的权谋手段最终在调查人员掌握的大量书面证据面前无所遁形，付出了相应的法律代价。(This politician presented a people-friendly image on the surface, but the treacherous political scheming behind it ultimately had nowhere to hide in the face of the extensive written evidence obtained by investigators, and he paid the corresponding legal price.)

Don't Say

• 奸诈 carries strong moral condemnation and implies active malicious deception and betrayal of trust. Do not use it casually to mean merely clever or shrewd — use 精明 or 聪明 for neutral cleverness. 奸诈 is never a compliment.

Origin & History

奸 (treachery; wickedness; illicit — 女 woman + 干 to do; originally connoting illicit conduct) + 诈 (to deceive; to cheat — 讠speech + 乍 suddenly; deceptive speech)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal