Chinese word

狡猾

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiǎo huá

Meaning

  • adjectivecunning

Example

他很狡猾，别轻信他。tā hén jiǎo huá bié qīng xìn tā

He is very cunning, so do not trust him easily.

Illustration for 狡猾 (cunning)

More examples

那位商人用狡猾的手段赚了很多钱。nà wèi shāng rén yòng jiǎo huá de shǒu duàn zhuàn le hěn duō qián

That merchant used cunning tactics to make a lot of money.

Core concept

A calculating person who spots weak points and turns them into personal advantage.

Common phrases

  • 狡猾的手段jiǎo huá de shǒu duàn

    cunning tactics

  • 显得狡猾xiǎn de jiǎo huá

    seem cunning

Similar words

狡诈jiǎo zhà: Deceiving others with skillful lies or tricks to obtain personal benefits.
阴险yīn xiǎn: Appearing ordinary while secretly holding harmful intentions and seeking to hurt others.
圆滑yuán huá: Adjusting speech and behavior to suit different situations and maintain relationships.
精明jīng míng: Understanding a situation's key facts and interests and judging efficiently and sensibly.

Definition in Chinese

指处事圆滑且带有计算性，善于抓住他人或环境的弱点以获得好处，常含道德上的贬义。zhǐ chǔ shì yuán huá qiě dài yǒu jì suàn xìng shàn yú zhuā zhù tā rén huò huán jìng de ruò diǎn yǐ huò dé hǎo chù cháng hán dào dé shàng de biǎn yì

Word origin

狡 (jiǎo, "crafty") + 猾 (huá, "slippery") form a compound that reinforces the image of cleverness used in a slippery, self-serving way.

Usage tips

  • English-speaking learners may mistake this adjective for a compliment about intelligence, but it specifically casts clever behavior as self-serving or unfair.

Other meanings

  • deviousadjective
  • craftyadjective
  • shrewdadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word