Definition
黑社会 literally means 'black society' and refers to organized crime groups or criminal underworlds, similar to the Mafia or Yakuza. In mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, the term carries specific legal and cultural weight — it's used in news reports and official documents to denote structured criminal organizations involved in racketeering, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities. It is a fixed compound noun and cannot be split.
p.w.
criminal underworldorganized crime syndicate
Examples
- 黑社会。Jǐngfāng zhèngzài yánlì dǎjī hēi shè huì huódòng.The police are cracking down hard on organized crime activities.
- 黑社会。Zhè bù diànyǐng jiǎngshù le hēi shè huì nèibù de ēnyuàn qíngchóu.This movie tells the story of the grudges and affections within the criminal underworld.
- 黑社会。Tā yīnwèi jiārù hēi shè huì ér bèi pàn le shí nián yǒuqí túxíng.He was sentenced to ten years in prison for joining an organized crime syndicate.
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