xảo kế
Definition
- Noun:
- Cunning stratagem / Artful scheme: A clever, deceptive, and often intricate plan or trick designed to achieve a goal through guile and deceit rather than honest means. It implies a high degree of cleverness in manipulation.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Tên trộm dùng một xảo kế để đột nhập. (The thief used a cunning stratagem to break in.)
- Đó không phải chiến lược thông minh mà là một xảo kế. (That's not a smart strategy but an artful scheme.)
- Hắn ta nổi tiếng với những xảo kế trong đàm phán. (He is famous for his cunning stratagems in negotiations.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "xảo kế" often carries a negative connotation, highlighting the unethical, manipulative, or treacherous nature of the plan. It is frequently used in contexts of politics, war, business competition, or personal betrayal.
Variants and Related Words
- Mưu kế (n): A stratagem or scheme. This is a more general, often neutral term for a plan or tactic.
- Thủ đoạn (n): A maneuver or method, typically with a strong negative connotation of underhandedness.
- Mưu mẹo (n): A trick or clever device, can be cunning or simply resourceful.
Synonyms
- Stratagem: A plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent.
- Ruse: An action intended to deceive someone; a trick.
- Ploy: A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one's own advantage.
- Artifice: Clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially when used to trick or deceive others.
Related Idioms
- While "xảo kế" itself is a specific term, it is conceptually related to idioms describing trickery:
- "Khôn nhà dại chợ": Literally "smart at home, foolish at the market"; sometimes used to criticize someone whose clever schemes fail in the wider world.
- "Treo đầu dê, bán thịt chó": Literally "hang a goat's head, sell dog's meat"; meaning to engage in blatant deception or fraud.