The Chinese word 诡计多端 is formed by combining the two-character phrase 诡计, meaning "deceitful schemes", with the two-character phrase 多端, meaning "many aspects". The characters 诡 (deceitful) and 计 (scheme) together denote cunning plans, while 多 (many) and 端 (aspect) indicate multiplicity; when concatenated, they create a four-character compound that literally translates to "deceitful schemes in many aspects", describing someone with numerous tricks or stratagems.