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串通一气

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: chuàn tōng yī qì
  • English Translation: To be in cahoots (colluding for a bad purpose)
  • Idiom Composition: 「串通」（To connect or communicate secretly (usually for illicit purposes)）＋「一」（One; the same）＋「气」（Breath or spirit; referring to a shared mindset or attitude）
  • Meaning: To secretly communicate and work together to plot something evil or deceive others. It describes a state where multiple parties are 'breathing through the same nose' to achieve a dishonest goal.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「串通一气」 contains the following nuances:

  • Malicious Collaboration: This term does not refer to simple teamwork. It specifically implies a 'conspiracy' intended to harm others or perform illegal acts.
  • Unity of Intent: The phrase 一气 (yī qì), meaning 'one breath,' emphasizes that the parties are acting with such perfect synchronization that they behave as a single entity.

3. Usage

「串通一气」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Exposing Fraud or Corruption: Used to condemn situations where individuals or organizations are secretly linked in corruption, match-fixing, or scams.
    • Example:「原来那个卖家和所谓的鉴定专家是串通一气的，专门骗外行人的钱。」
      （It turns out that seller and the so-called appraisal expert were in cahoots specifically to scam money from amateurs.)
  • Daily Betrayal or Secret Agreements: Used when friends or colleagues align their stories to exclude someone or hide the truth.
    • Example:「你们两个早就串通一气了吧，只有我一个人被蒙在鼓里。」
      （You two must have colluded long ago; I was the only one kept in the dark.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 这些奸商和贪官串通一气，哄抬物价。
    （These unscrupulous merchants and corrupt officials are working hand in glove to drive up prices.）
  2. 别以为你们串通一气就能瞒天过海，真相总会大白的。
    （Don't think you can hide the truth by conspiring together; the truth will eventually come to light.）
  3. 为了赢得比赛，他们竟然和裁判串通一气。
    （To win the match, they actually colluded with the referee.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • This idiom appears in Chapter 46 of the classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦). A servant, realizing others are plotting against her, shouts: 'No wonder! You are all **in cahoots** (串通一气) to scheme against me!'
  • The imagery of 'breathing the same air' or 'sharing the same breath' is a common metaphor in Chinese for people who share the same (usually bad) intentions. It is a strong derogatory term used to criticize a lack of integrity.
  • While it can occasionally be used jokingly among close friends, its primary function is to accuse others of dishonest collaboration.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

串通一气 (chuàn tōng yī qì) is a derogatory idiom used to describe people who have secretly joined forces for a malicious or fraudulent purpose. It is often translated as 'to be in league with' or 'to collude.' It is never used to describe positive or honest cooperation.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

chuàn tōng yī qì
串通一气
Colluding Together
nǐ你yǒu méi yǒu有没有jīng lì经历guò过zhè yàng这样yī zhǒng一种shí kè时刻？

Have you ever experienced a moment like this?

nǐ你zài在hé和yí gè一个mò shēng rén陌生人tán谈shì qíng事情，páng biān旁边zhèng hǎo正好yǒu有yí gè一个“lù rén路人”chā zuǐ插嘴bāng qiāng帮腔。

You are discussing business with a stranger, and a bystander happens to chime in to support them.

biǎo miàn shàng表面上kàn看，tā men他们hù bù xiāng shí互不相识，yí gè一个shì是mài jiā卖家，yí gè一个shì是lù rén路人，měi gè rén每个人dōu都zài在fā biǎo发表zì jǐ自己de的kàn fǎ看法。

On the surface, they don't know each other; one is a seller and the other is a passerby, each expressing their own opinion.

kě shì可是，màn màn慢慢dì地，nǐ你huì会gǎn jué dào感觉到yī zhǒng一种qí guài奇怪de的“mò qì默契”。

However, gradually, you start to sense a strange tacit understanding.

nà ge那个lù rén路人shuō说de的huà话，zǒng shì总是qià hǎo恰好bāng帮le了mài jiā卖家de的máng忙；mài jiā卖家zuò chū做出de的ràng bù让步，yòu又gāng hǎo刚好shì是lù rén路人jiàn yì建议de的。

The words of the passerby always happen to help the seller, and the concessions made by the seller are exactly what the passerby suggested.

zhí dào直到zuì hòu最后nǐ你cái才huǎng rán dà wù恍然大悟：yuán lái原来tā men他们shì是yī huǒ一伙de的。

It is only at the end that you suddenly realize: they were on the same team all along.

zhè zhǒng这种gǎn jué感觉，zài在zhōng wén中文lǐ里yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常jīng zhǔn精准de的chéng yǔ成语lái来xíng róng形容，jiào叫“chuàn tōng yī qì串通一气”。

This feeling is described by a very precise Chinese idiom: 串通一气.

zhè ge这个cí词de的huà miàn gǎn画面感hěn很qiáng强。

This phrase has a very strong visual quality.

“chuàn串”，jiù就xiàng像yáng ròu chuàn羊肉串yī yàng一样，bǎ把bù tóng不同de的dōng xī东西lián连zài在yì qǐ一起；“tōng通”，shì是gōu tōng沟通、xiāng tōng相通；ér而“yī qì一气”，yì si意思shì是tā men他们xiàng像shì是zài在hū xī呼吸tóng同yī zhǒng一种kōng qì空气，huò zhě或者shuō说，shì是yí gè一个bí kǒng鼻孔chū qì出气。

串 is like a skewer connecting different things; 通 means to communicate or connect; and 一气 means they are breathing the same air, or as the saying goes, breathing through the same nostril.

hé合qǐ lái起来，tā它de的yì si意思jiù shì就是：jǐ gè几个rén人biǎo miàn shàng表面上kàn qǐ lái看起来shì是dú lì独立de的，dàn但shí jì shàng实际上zǎo jiù早就àn zhōng暗中gōu jié勾结hǎo好le了，wèi le为了tóng yī gè同一个mù dì目的，pèi hé配合zhe着yǎn xì演戏。

Combined, it means that several people appear independent on the surface, but have actually colluded in secret to act out a play for the same purpose.

yào要zhù yì注意de的shì是，“chuàn tōng yī qì串通一气”shì是yí gè一个biǎn yì cí贬义词，tā它jī hū几乎zǒng shì总是yòng lái用来xíng róng形容huài shì坏事，huò zhě或者zhì shǎo至少shì是bù guāng cǎi不光彩de的shì事。

It is important to note that 串通一气 is a derogatory term; it is almost always used to describe bad things, or at least dishonorable ones.

wǒ men我们píng shí平时shuō说“hé zuò合作”huò zhě或者“tuán jié团结”，nà那shì是gōng kāi公开de的、wèi le为了hǎo好de的mù biāo目标。

We usually say cooperation or unity for open actions toward good goals.

dàn但“chuàn tōng yī qì串通一气”bù tóng不同，tā它de的hé xīn核心zài yú在于“qī piàn欺骗”。

But 串通一气 is different; its core lies in deception.

zuì最diǎn xíng典型de的chǎng jǐng场景，wǎng wǎng往往fā shēng发生zài在xū yào需要gōng píng jìng zhēng公平竞争huò zhě或者tán pàn谈判de的shí hòu时候。

The most typical scenarios often occur when fair competition or negotiation is required.

bǐ rú比如zài在zhí chǎng职场shàng上，liǎng两gè个tóng shì同事míng míng明明sī xià私下yǐ jīng已经shāng liáng商量hǎo好le了yào要pái jǐ排挤shuí谁，dàn但zài在kāi huì开会shí时，tā men他们què却jiǎ zhuāng假装shì是yí gè一个chàng hóng liǎn唱红脸、yí gè一个chàng bái liǎn唱白脸，yī chàng yī hè一唱一和dì地bǎ把shì qíng事情yǐn xiàng引向tā men他们xiǎng yào想要de的fāng xiàng方向。

For example, in the workplace, two colleagues might have privately agreed to marginalize someone, but in a meeting, they pretend to play good cop and bad cop, working in harmony to lead things in their desired direction.

huò zhě或者zài在yī xiē一些piàn jú骗局lǐ里，jǐ gè rén几个人fēn gōng分工míng què明确，yǒu有de的zhuāng zuò装作fù háo富豪，yǒu有de的zhuāng zuò装作zhuān jiā专家，qí shí其实dōu都shì是wèi le为了ràng让shòu hài zhě受害者xiāng xìn相信nà ge那个huǎng yán谎言。

Or in some scams, several people have clear roles—some pretending to be wealthy, others pretending to be experts—all to make the victim believe the lie.

suǒ yǐ所以，dāng当wǒ men我们shuō说mǒu xiē某些rén人“chuàn tōng yī qì串通一气”shí时，wǒ men我们biǎo dá表达de的bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shì是tā men他们zài在yì qǐ一起zuò shì做事，gèng shì更是yī zhǒng一种“bèi被suàn jì算计”de的fèn nù愤怒。

So, when we say certain people are 串通一气, we are expressing not just that they are working together, but a sense of anger at being calculated against.

wǒ men我们shì是zài在jiē chuān揭穿yī zhǒng一种jiǎ xiàng假象——zhǐ chū指出nà xiē那些kàn shì看似ǒu rán偶然de的pèi hé配合，qí shí其实shì是yī cháng一场jīng xīn精心shè jì设计de的biǎo yǎn表演。

We are exposing a false appearance—pointing out that those seemingly accidental coordinations are actually a carefully designed performance.

xià cì下次，rú guǒ如果nǐ你fā xiàn发现běn lái本来yīng gāi应该hù xiāng互相zhì héng制衡de的jǐ fāng几方，tū rán突然biàn dé变得yì cháng异常mò qì默契，ràng让nǐ你jué de觉得gū lì wú yuán孤立无援shí时，nǐ你de的zhí jué直觉kě néng可能zài在gào sù告诉nǐ你：zhè这bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shì是qiǎo hé巧合，tā men他们yě xǔ也许zǎo jiù早就“chuàn tōng yī qì串通一气”le了。

Next time, if you find that parties who should be checking and balancing each other suddenly become unusually synchronized, making you feel isolated, your intuition might be telling you: it's not just a coincidence; they might have been 串通一气 for a long time.

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