奸 (jiān): wicked

Meanings

Zhè ge rén yòu jiān yòu huá.

This person is both crafty and slippery.

Lìshǐ shàng de jiānchén hài le hěn duō zhōngchén.

Treacherous officials in history harmed many loyal ministers.

usage

As an adjective, 奸 means treacherous/crafty (奸诈, 奸臣). As a variant of 姦, it means illicit sexual acts (强奸 = rape). Context makes the meaning clear.

culture

奸臣 (treacherous minister) is a classic archetype in Chinese history and literature, contrasted with 忠臣 (loyal minister).

奸 jiān