cunning

Compared meaning: cunning or deceptive in a bad way (adjective).

比较义项：狡猾、诡诈（形容词）。

• tricky

  Tricky suggests someone is deceptive and hard to trust in dealings; it warns that the person is unreliable or prone to trickery, without necessarily implying admiration for their cleverness.

  tricky 强调这个人狡诈、在交往中不值得信任；它提醒对方可能不可靠、容易耍花招，但并不一定表示对其聪明才智的欣赏。

  He's a tricky customer, so read every clause before you sign the contract.

  他是个狡猾难缠的人，所以签合同前要把每一条条款都看清楚。

• sly

  Sly emphasizes quiet, secretive cunning, doing something deceptive or mischievous without others noticing; it often describes a look, smile or manner, and can carry a lighter, sometimes playful tone.

  sly 强调安静、隐秘的狡黠——不动声色地做出欺骗或调皮的举动；常用来形容眼神、微笑或举止，语气较轻，有时还带点玩闹的意味。

  She gave a sly smile before slipping the last cookie into her pocket.

  她露出一个狡黠的微笑，然后把最后一块饼干偷偷塞进了口袋。

• cunning 本词

  Cunning highlights clever intelligence used to deceive or outwit others; it often conveys some admiration for the skill involved and commonly describes plans, schemes, or clever animals as well as people.

  cunning 强调头脑聪明、善于用计谋欺骗或智胜他人；常常带有对其手段高明的几分欣赏，也常用来形容计谋、诡计，或聪明狡猾的动物，同样适用于人。

  The cunning fox tricked the crow into dropping the piece of cheese.

  那只狡猾的狐狸用计谋骗乌鸦松口，让奶酪掉了下来。

Tricky, sly, and cunning all mean deceptive. Tricky suggests someone is unreliable and prone to using tricks. Sly suggests quiet, secretive cunning, often shown in a look or smile, sometimes playful. Cunning suggests clever intelligence used to deceive, often describing schemes or clever animals.

这三个词在此义项中都表示“狡猾”，但侧重和语气不同：tricky 强调这个人不可信、爱耍花招，常见于“a tricky customer”这类说法；sly 强调偷偷摸摸、不动声色的狡黠，多用来形容眼神或微笑，语气较轻，也可带调皮意味；cunning 强调头脑聪明、善于用计谋欺骗他人，常用于计谋、计划或动物，带几分对手段高明的赞赏。另外，tricky 还有“（事情）棘手，难办”的常见义项，这里不做比较；cunning 也可指物品“设计精巧的”，这里同样不涉及。