奸 (jiān) - wicked, evil, treacherous & crafty, sly

奸Tone 1

jiān ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 女

嘉健

奸 · jiān

wicked, evil, treacherous;

crafty, sly;

illicit sexual relations, adultery

wicked, evil, treacherouscrafty, slyillicit sexual relations, adultery

Usage highlights

adultereradulteresstreacherous officialcrafty schemewicked personillicit sexual relations

Synonyms

  • 邪— evil, wicked
  • 恶— bad, evil
  • 狡— cunning, crafty

Antonyms

  • 忠— loyal, faithful
  • 诚— honest, sincere
  • 正— upright, righteous

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He committed a wicked act (奸恶).
  • The treacherous official was punished (奸臣).
  • They uncovered an adulterous affair (奸情).
  • The crafty scheme was exposed (奸计).

Collocations

  • adulterer(奸夫)
  • adulteress(奸妇)
  • treacherous official(奸臣)
  • crafty scheme(奸计)
  • wicked person(奸人)
  • illicit sexual relations(奸淫)

Idioms

  • A treacherous minister and an evil son(奸臣逆子)
  • Cunning and crafty(奸狡诡谲)
  • Remove the wicked and promote the virtuous(除奸革弊)
  • Old traitors and crafty bandits(老奸巨猾)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with moral corruption and betrayal in Confucian ethics.
  • Often used in legal and moral contexts to denote serious ethical violations.
  • The character combines 'female' (女) with 'dry' (干), suggesting improper behavior.

FAQ