黑社会

黑社會

hēishèhuì

noun #8,352

Measure Word

一个黑社会 gè

Meanings

1 organized crime; the underworld; mafia
2 criminal gang; triad

Characters

black; dark; illegal

society; organization

association; gathering

Literally 'black society' — society operating in the dark, outside the law.

Examples

警察正在打击黑社会犯罪。

Jǐngchá zhèngzài dǎjī hēishèhuì fànzuì.

The police are cracking down on organized crime.

这部电影讲的是香港黑社会的故事。

Zhè bù diànyǐng jiǎng de shì Xiānggǎng hēishèhuì de gùshi.

This movie tells the story of Hong Kong triads.

他年轻的时候加入了黑社会。

Tā niánqīng de shíhou jiārù le hēishèhuì.

He joined a criminal gang when he was young.

Tips

culture

黑社会 is the general Chinese term for organized crime. In Hong Kong, the specific term 三合会 (sānhéhuì, Triad) is used for the historically rooted secret societies. Many iconic Hong Kong films like 'Infernal Affairs' depict 黑社会.

usage

黑 (black) often implies 'illegal' or 'underground' in Chinese: 黑市 (hēishì, black market), 黑钱 (hēiqián, dirty money), 黑客 (hēikè, hacker).

Stroke Order

黑 hēi

社 shè

会 huì