Definition

1. Noun:
   • Planted spy: A person who secretly infiltrates an organization, group, or country on behalf of an enemy or opponent to gather information and sabotage from within.
   • Internal agent: An enemy operative working covertly inside a target entity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Phe đối lập phát hiện ra một tên nội gián trong hàng ngũ của họ. (The opposition discovered a planted spy within their ranks.)
  • Nhiệm vụ của nội gián là làm suy yếu tổ chức từ bên trong. (The internal agent's mission is to weaken the organization from within.)
  • Họ sợ rằng có nội gián đã rò rỉ bí mật. (They fear a planted spy has leaked secrets.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is primarily used in contexts of espionage, military conflict, political intrigue, or high-stakes corporate rivalry. It implies a deep, deceptive infiltration with harmful intent.

Variants and Related Words

• Gián điệp (n): spy. A more general term for any spy or intelligence agent.

  • Gián điệp đó bị bắt khi đang chụp ảnh căn cứ. (That spy was caught taking pictures of the base.)

• Phản gián (n): counterintelligence. Activities aimed at thwarting enemy espionage.

  • Đơn vị phản gián đã ngăn chặn một vụ tấn công mạng. (The counterintelligence unit prevented a cyber attack.)

Synonyms

• Mole: A spy who works within an organization for a long period without being discovered.
• Infiltration agent: An agent who gains secret entry into a place.
• Fifth columnist: A member of a subversive organization who attempts to undermine a nation's solidarity.

Related Idioms

• "Con ngựa thành Troia" (Trojan Horse): This idiom, borrowed into Vietnamese, is conceptually related to "nội gián," referring to something or someone that appears harmless but is used to secretly bring an enemy into a protected place.
  • Phần mềm độc hại đó là một con ngựa thành Troia. (That malicious software is a Trojan Horse.)

noun

1. planted spy