Chinese word

黑心

Pronunciation

Pinyinhēi xīn

Meaning

  • adjectiveshady

Example

这家店卖黑心商品，别去。zhè jiā diàn mài hēi xīn shāng pǐn bié qù

This store sells shady products; don't go there.

Illustration for 黑心 (shady)

More examples

消费者发现了黑心产品，向市场监管部门投诉。xiāo fèi zhě fā xiàn le hēi xīn chán pǐn xiàng shì chǎng jiān guǎn bù mén tóu sù

The consumer found a fraudulent product and filed a complaint with the market regulation authorities.

Core concept

A person or organization lets private gain override conscience, so its dealings harm others through deception or poor workmanship.

Common phrases

  • 黑心产品hēi xīn chán pǐn

    fraudulent product

  • 黑心商人hēi xīn shāng rén

    unscrupulous merchant

  • 黑心做法hēi xīn zuò fǎ

    unscrupulous practice

Similar words

不道德bú dào dé: Against accepted moral or ethical standards in actions or ideas.
恶劣è liè: Seriously poor, harsh, or undesirable in conduct, treatment, or conditions.
可耻ké chǐ: Deserving shame and blame because of a person's conduct or qualities.

Definition in Chinese

用来指人或组织在行为或交易中缺乏良心，通过欺骗或偷工减料等手段追求私利的恶劣性质。yòng lái zhǐ rén huò zǔ zhī zài xíng wèi huò jiāo yì zhōng quē fá liáng xīn tōng guò qī piàn huò tōu gōng jiǎn liào děng shǒu duàn zhuī qiú sī lì de è liè xìng zhì

Word origin

黑 (hēi, "black") + 心 (xīn, "heart") presents a heart darkened by greed, a direct metaphor for conduct that abandons conscience.

Usage tips

  • As a strong accusation rather than a neutral description, it is best tied to a concrete act such as deception or corner-cutting in everyday conversation.

Other meanings

  • fraudulentadjective
  • slyadjective
  • heartlessadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word