勾當

Chinese

	affair; to reach for (with hand); to cancel affair; to reach for (with hand); to cancel; to delineate; hook	to act as; represent; equal to act as; represent; equal; should; fitting; suitable; adequate; proper; replace; to be; to hold a position; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; match equally; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at
trad. (勾當)	勾	當
simp. (勾当)	勾	当
alternative forms	句當／句当

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): gòudàng

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄡˋ ㄉㄤˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ngau¹ dong³
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kau-tàng / kau-tang

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gòudàng → gòudang (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄡˋ ㄉㄤˋ → ㄍㄡˋ ˙ㄉㄤ (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Tongyong Pinyin: gòudång
  - Wade–Giles: kou⁴-tang⁵
  - Yale: gòu-dang
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gow.danq
  - Palladius: гоудан (goudan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /koʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑŋ⁵¹/ → /koʊ̯⁵¹ d̥ɑŋ¹/
- (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed) (勾當兒 / 勾当儿)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gòudàngr
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄡˋ ㄉㄤˋㄦ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: gòudàngr
  - Wade–Giles: kou⁴-tang⁴-ʼrh
  - Yale: gòu-dàngr
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gowdanql
  - Palladius: гоуданр (goudanr)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /koʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑ̃ɻ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: ngau¹ dong³
  - Yale: ngāu dong
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ngau¹ dong³
  - Guangdong Romanization: ngeo¹ dong³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋɐu̯⁵⁵ tɔːŋ³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kau-tàng
  - Tâi-lô: kau-tàng
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kau'daxng
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /kau⁴⁴⁻³³ taŋ²¹/
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /kau⁴⁴⁻³³ taŋ¹¹/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kau-tang
  - Tâi-lô: kau-tang
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kau'dafng
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kau⁴⁴⁻³³ taŋ⁴⁴/

Noun

勾當

(derogatory) dirty deal; shady business
(obsolete) matter
- 大仙躬身謝菩薩道：「小可的勾當，怎敢勞菩薩下降？」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  大仙躬身谢菩萨道：「小可的勾当，怎敢劳菩萨下降？」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  From: Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West, 16^th century CE
  Dàxiān gōngshēn xiè púsà dào: “Xiǎokě de gōudāng, zěn gǎn láo púsà xiàjiàng?” [Pinyin]
  The great adept bowed in respect to the Bodhisattva, saying: "How could I possibly dare to trouble the Bodhisattva to descend on account of my trifling matter?"

Derived terms

不用本錢的勾當 / 不用本钱的勾当
有勾當 / 有勾当
肚兒裡有勾當 / 肚儿里有勾当
非法勾當 / 非法勾当

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): gòudāng

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄡˋ ㄉㄤ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gòudāng
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄡˋ ㄉㄤ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: gòudang
  - Wade–Giles: kou⁴-tang¹
  - Yale: gòu-dāng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gowdang
  - Palladius: гоудан (goudan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /koʊ̯⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵/

Verb

勾當

(obsolete) to handle matters

Japanese

Kanji in this term
勾	當
こう Grade: S	とう Hyōgai
on'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 勾當 – see the following entry.

【勾当こうとう】

[noun] handling work at a local government office

[noun] (ritsuryō, historical) several government jobs under the ritsuryō system:

[noun] employee of the Ministry of the Treasury

[noun] manager of the ritsubundō (warehouse that stores ritsubun taxes) of the Banquet Office

[noun] manager of the nagatono (large warehouse that stores tributes by place of origin)

[noun] employee of the Office for the Investigation of Estate Documents

[noun] (historical) the rank below the attendant in the samurai guard house of the sekkan

[noun] (historical) someone who handles temple work, below the main attendant

[noun] (historical) the rank below 別(べっ)当(とう) (bettō) and above 座(ざ)頭(とう) (zatō) in the Tōdōza (a hierarchical guild for blind men)

[verb] to handle work at a local government office

[verb] to perform the duties of any of the other positions above

(This term, 勾當, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)