Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Cunning and deceitful: Describes a person or behavior that is characterized by dishonesty, trickery, and a clever, manipulative ability to achieve one's goals through underhanded means. It implies a shrewd, active, and often immoral intelligence.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Hắn ta là một kẻ gian hoạt, không ai có thể tin tưởng được. (He is a cunning and deceitful person; no one can trust him.)
  • Thủ đoạn gian hoạt của tên buôn lậu cuối cùng cũng bị phát hiện. (The smuggler's cunning and deceitful tactics were finally discovered.)
  • Với bộ mặt gian hoạt, hắn dễ dàng lừa gạt những người nhẹ dạ. (With a cunning and deceitful face, he easily fooled the gullible people.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "gian hoạt" is often used in formal or literary contexts to describe a profound, systemic dishonesty rather than a simple lie. It suggests an enduring trait of a person's character or the complex nature of a scheme.

Variants and Related Words

• Gian xảo (adj): deceitful and crafty. This is a very close synonym.

  • Những lời đường mật đầy gian xảo. (Honeyed words full of deceit and craftiness.)

• Gian trá (adj): fraudulent and fake.

  • Hành vi gian trá trong hợp đồng. (Fraudulent behavior in the contract.)

Synonyms

• Deceitful: Guilty of or involving deceit; intended to mislead or trick.
• Cunning: Having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion.
• Sly: Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.
• Duplicitous: Deceitful in speech or conduct.

Related Idioms

• Gian hùng: A term describing a villainous, ambitious, and cunning person, often in a historical or power-struggle context. It combines "gian" (treacherous) with "hùng" (powerful, hero), implying a dangerously deceitful strongman.
  • Trong lịch sử, không thiếu những nhân vật gian hùng. (In history, there is no shortage of villainous and cunning figures.)