p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Translate Flashcards

勾当

勾當
gòudàng
noun #8,722

Meanings

  1. 1 shady deal; dirty business
  2. 2 illicit activity; dishonest scheme

Characters

勾
gòu
to collude; to hook
当
dàng
undertaking; matter
Hook + matter - originally meant 'an affair to handle,' but shifted to mean shady or illicit dealings.

Examples

HSK 3
警察发现了他们的勾当。
Jǐngchá fāxiàn le tāmen de gòudàng.
The police uncovered their dirty dealings.
HSK 5
他们在背后搞什么勾当？
Tāmen zài bèihòu gǎo shénme gòudàng?
What shady business are they up to behind the scenes?
HSK 7-9
这种勾当迟早会被曝光。
Zhè zhǒng gòudàng chízǎo huì bèi bàoguāng.
This kind of shady business will be exposed sooner or later.

Tips

usage
勾当 is always negative - it refers exclusively to dishonest, illegal, or immoral activities. It is never used for legitimate business. Common collocations: 搞勾当, 肮脏的勾当, 见不得人的勾当.
mistakes
Do not confuse with 勾搭 (gōuda, to collude/flirt). Also note the pronunciation: 勾 is read gòu (4th tone) here, not gōu (1st tone) as in 勾画.

Stroke Order

勾 gōu
当 dāng