姦 (jiān) - licentious, wicked, evil & adultery, fornication

姦Tone 1

jiān ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

嘉健

姦 · jiān

licentious, wicked, evil;

adultery, fornication;

traitorous;

to debauch

licentious, wicked, eviladultery, fornicationtraitorous

Usage highlights

adulterous coupletraitorous ministerwicked schemeadulterylicentious personevil and cunning

Synonyms

  • 奸— wicked, evil (simplified variant)
  • 淫— licentious, lewd
  • 邪— evil, wicked

Antonyms

  • 忠— loyal, faithful
  • 正— upright, righteous
  • 贞— chaste, virtuous

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The adulterous couple was caught (姦夫淫妇).
  • He committed treasonous acts (姦臣).
  • The wicked plot was uncovered (姦计).
  • They were accused of adultery (通姦).

Collocations

  • adulterous couple(姦夫淫妇)
  • traitorous minister(姦臣)
  • wicked scheme(姦计)
  • adultery(通姦)
  • licentious person(姦人)
  • evil and cunning(姦狡)

Idioms

  • The wicked and the righteous cannot coexist(姦邪不两立)
  • To catch adulterers in the act(捉姦捉双)
  • Evil cannot prevail over righteousness(姦不压正)
  • To shield the wicked(藏姦纳垢)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with serious moral transgressions, particularly sexual misconduct and political betrayal.
  • The character's structure with three 女 (women) has been criticized as sexist, implying women as source of trouble.
  • In modern usage, often replaced by 奸 in simplified Chinese, though both carry similar negative connotations.
  • Considered one of the most morally charged characters in the Chinese lexicon.

FAQ