Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Artful; crafty; designing: Characterized by or using clever but deceitful methods to achieve one's goals. It implies cunning intelligence used to trick or deceive others.
   • Devious; treacherous: Marked by a lack of honesty and a willingness to betray trust through sly and underhanded schemes.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Kẻ đó có nụ cười rất gian xảo. (That person has a very crafty smile.)
  • Hắn ta dùng thủ đoạn gian xảo để chiếm đoạt tài sản. (He used devious tricks to seize the property.)
  • Lời nói gian xảo của họ không thể che giấu sự thật. (Their artful words cannot hide the truth.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used to describe not just people, but also their methods, plans, or expressions (). It carries a strong negative moral judgment.

Variants and Related Words

• Gian giảo (adj): A near-synonym, often used interchangeably with to mean cunning and deceitful.
• Gian trá (adj): Fraudulent, deceitful; emphasizes falsehood and deception.
• Xảo quyệt (adj): Cunning and cruel; combines cleverness with malice.

Synonyms

• Crafty: Skilled at deceiving others in a clever way.
• Devious: Showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals.
• Sly: Acting with secrecy and cunning.
• Treacherous: Guilty of or involving betrayal of trust.

Related Idioms

• Gian xảo như cáo: (As crafty as a fox) Used to describe someone extremely sly and deceitful.
  • Tên buôn lậu gian xảo như cáo, luôn thoát khỏi vòng vây của cảnh sát. (The smuggler, as crafty as a fox, always escapes police encirclement.)

adj

1. artful; crafty; designing