gian lận

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 奸 and 吝.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zaːn˧˧ lən˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [jaːŋ˧˧ ləŋ˨˩ʔ]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [jaːŋ˧˧ ləŋ˨˩˨]

Verb

gian lận

1. (only in certain serious contexts) to do something dishonest for personal gain, such as to cheat in an exam or to commit financial fraud

   gian lận trong thi cử ― to cheat in exams

   gian lận thương mại ― to commit financial fraud

Usage notes

Only used in certain serious contexts where serious sanction from an authority could be dealt out as a remedy. "To cheat on one's spouse" would be ngoại tình, and "to cheat in a game" is usually ăn gian.