‘勾结’ is a verb meaning to secretly collude or conspire with others—usually for dishonest, illegal, or harmful purposes. The first character 勾 (gòu) originally means ‘to hook’ or ‘to draw’, suggesting connection or linkage; the second character 结 (jié) means ‘to tie’ or ‘to join’, reinforcing the idea of binding together. Combined, they evoke an image of people secretly linking hands behind the scenes, often in secrecy and with negative intent. It carries strong moral and legal connotations, implying betrayal of trust, abuse of power, or undermining of rules.

This word is commonly used in political, legal, journalistic, and anti-corruption contexts—such as describing collusion between officials and businesses, criminals and insiders, or hostile external forces and domestic actors. It is never neutral: even grammatically correct usage implies condemnation. While it can appear in formal writing and news reports, it’s rarely used in casual conversation due to its serious, accusatory tone.