noun
cunning used for evil; wicked wisdom
Refers to intelligence or knowledge deliberately applied to harmful, immoral, or selfish ends. A somewhat literary or formal term.
彼の邪知が多くの人を苦しめた。
His wicked cunning caused suffering to many people.
邪知に長けた悪役が登場する。
A villain skilled in evil scheming appears.
悪知恵 is more colloquial and refers to craftiness or sly tricks in everyday situations, while 邪知 is more literary and implies a deeper, more fundamental misuse of intelligence for evil.
奸知 also means cunning or crafty wisdom, often with a nuance of deceit and manipulation. 邪知 emphasizes the evil purpose more directly.
Compound of 邪 (wicked, evil) and 知 (knowledge, wisdom). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common Sino-Japanese pattern for abstract concepts.