勾当

勾當

gòudàng

noun #8,722

Meanings

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

Characters

to collude; to hook

undertaking; matter

Hook + matter — originally meant 'an affair to handle,' but shifted to mean shady or illicit dealings.

Examples

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?

警察发现了他们的勾当。

Jǐngchá fāxiàn le tāmen de gòudàng.

The police uncovered their dirty dealings.

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