evil scheme; crafty plot; wicked plan
Refers to a cunning, underhanded plan or conspiracy, often with malicious intent. Somewhat literary or formal.
We were able to see through the enemy's crafty plot.
彼は奸計を巡らせて政敵を失脚させた。
He devised an evil scheme to bring down his political rival.
Standard kanji spelling for 'evil scheme' or 'crafty plot'.
Variant kanji form using 姦 (wicked, lewd) instead of 奸 (crafty, evil). Less common in modern usage.
Compound of 奸 (crafty, evil) and 計 (plan, scheme). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in classical and literary Japanese to denote wicked plotting.