English Translation
He is above deceiving others.
Are there connotation differences between 欺く、騙す、詐欺する?
He is above deceiving others.
Are there connotation differences between 欺く、騙す、詐欺する?
In the context of “to deceive”, 欺く (あざむく) and 騙す (だます) are synonyms with some slight differences.
欺く sometimes sounds more serious/manipulative and related to “ethical/moral” issues while 騙す can be also used in more casual context such as a “trick art” or “illusionism” = 騙し絵 (だましえ). We don’t say 欺き絵 because an artistic image invoking one’s sensory illusion is harmless and even fun.
敵を欺く (てきをあざむく) refers to “to get your enemy believe that you are on their side, and then suddenly to double-cross them”. It’s like a typical technique of double-spies. 敵を騙す, on the other hand, refers to “to give false information to your enemy and get them believe”. But 敵を騙す doesn’t always result in “switching sides”.
For example, Ukraine and Russia are currently at war with each other. Both of the sides are fully aware that the other is their foes. And Russia frequently spreads fake news and images. That is 敵を騙す行為. Belarus is regarded as a close ally of Russia (or puppet of Russia). If Belarus suddenly switched sides and attacked Russia, that would be 敵を欺く (敵 in this case is Russia).
There is no expression of 詐欺する. It should be 詐欺を働く (さぎをはたらく) or 詐欺に手を染める (さぎにてをそめる). Although 詐欺 uses the same Kanji 欺く, 詐欺 is more frequently used in the context of financial fraud or marriage fraud. In other words, the term 詐欺 often invokes us an image of a legally binding situation. 詐欺 is not only a matter of ethics/moral (i.e. betrayal) but also a criminal act.