<p>Usually, "black box" refers to either a "black-box flight recorder", or some hidden component of a system: it has certain inputs and outputs, but an unknown internal function.</p>

<p>As <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/36695/8099">Tang Ho mentions</a>, "black-box operations" is understandable, but <a href="https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/questions/35005/is-there-a-linguistics-term-meaning-its-grammatically-correct-but-nobody-says">I don't think it's common</a> to use it to describe an operation by an organization.  It'd more commonly arise in a sentence such as:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>It's best to think of that organization as a "black box", not really knowing what they do there, otherwise we'd have to take action against their suspicious practices.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>"Black-box" does not always carry a connotation of "bad things happening", just that the underlying operation is hidden, e.g. perhaps for simplicity, security, or privacy.</p>

<p>Instead, these would be better described as</p>

<ul>
<li>"shady operations",</li>
<li>"undercover operations",</li>
<li>"secret operations",</li>
<li>"covert operations", or</li>
<li>"clandestine operations".</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-28T10:47:38.413Z
What does “black-hat” refer to?
Axel Tong
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-28T10:49:45.470Z
Actually, maybe [black-hat](https://www.techopedia.com/definition/26342/black-hat-hacker) isn't the best here; it generally refers to hacking.  (If I were to choose one, it'd definitely be "shady operations" ["concealed" in a "negative" way].)
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-29T06:03:44.223Z
I thought in english we can use "under the table"?
sylvia
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-29T06:04:41.037Z
Oh yeah, that’s a good one (:
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-28T10:45:55.320Z
2020-01-28T10:49:55.857Z
2020-01-28T10:49:55.857Z
Becky 李蓓
<p>The term &quot;黑箱&quot; was a direct translation of a science term <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box" rel="nofollow noreferrer">&quot;Black box</a>&quot; from English</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box" rel="nofollow noreferrer">&quot;Black box</a> is a device, <strong>system</strong> or object which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings.</em></p>
<p>..........</p>
<p><em>Almost anything might be referred to as a black box: a transistor, an engine, an algorithm, the human brain, an <strong>institution</strong> or <strong>government</strong>.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>黑箱作业 in English should be ”black-box operation(s)” . (you can see what goes in and what comes out, but you never how the system works). Presuming the English speaker knows what is a 'black box'</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-28T10:18:32.653Z
2020-01-28T10:23:48.060Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>It is literally translated as ”black-box operation(s)”.</p>

<p>It refers to actions within an organization which are not transparent to the general public or the “masses” within the organization, which consequently result in bad things happening. It is a metaphor of the black box, where one knows the input and the output, but doesn’t know the underlying process/transformation that occurred to change the input into the output.</p>

<p>Is there an idiom in English that encapsulates the same idea?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-29T07:33:30.700Z
Here I thought "black box" is a phrase borrowed from English, and not a traditional Chinese expression.
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-29T07:35:04.380Z
It’s relatively new, isn’t it?
Axel Tong
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-29T07:37:16.193Z
If I asked for a English idiom which contained most of the meaning in “catch 22 situation”, then I would probably end up with “choosing between a rock and a hard place”. I wish to know if there are older expressions which mean the same thing.
Axel Tong
<word-choice><usage>
How do you say 黑箱作业 in English?
# How do you say 黑箱作业 in English?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-28)

It is literally translated as ”black-box operation(s)”.

It refers to actions within an organization which are not transparent to the general public or the “masses” within the organization, which consequently result in bad things happening. It is a metaphor of the black box, where one knows the input and the output, but doesn’t know the underlying process/transformation that occurred to change the input into the output.

Is there an idiom in English that encapsulates the same idea?

**Tags:** word-choice, usage
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Here I thought "black box" is a phrase borrowed from English, and not a traditional Chinese expression.  
> **username_0**: It’s relatively new, isn’t it?  
> **username_0**: If I asked for a English idiom which contained most of the meaning in “catch 22 situation”, then I would probably end up with “choosing between a rock and a hard place”. I wish to know if there are older expressions which mean the same thing.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-01-28. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Usually, "black box" refers to either a "black-box flight recorder", or some hidden component of a system: it has certain inputs and outputs, but an unknown internal function.

As [Tang Ho mentions](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/36695/8099), "black-box operations" is understandable, but [I don't think it's common](https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/questions/35005/is-there-a-linguistics-term-meaning-its-grammatically-correct-but-nobody-says) to use it to describe an operation by an organization. It'd more commonly arise in a sentence such as:

> It's best to think of that organization as a "black box", not really knowing what they do there, otherwise we'd have to take action against their suspicious practices.

"Black-box" does not always carry a connotation of "bad things happening", just that the underlying operation is hidden, e.g. perhaps for simplicity, security, or privacy.

Instead, these would be better described as

* "shady operations",
* "undercover operations",
* "secret operations",
* "covert operations", or
* "clandestine operations".

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What does “black-hat” refer to?  
> **username_2**: Actually, maybe [black-hat](https://www.techopedia.com/definition/26342/black-hat-hacker) isn't the best here; it generally refers to hacking.  (If I were to choose one, it'd definitely be "shady operations" ["concealed" in a "negative" way].)  
> **username_3**: I thought in english we can use "under the table"?  
> **username_2**: Oh yeah, that’s a good one (:  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-01-28. Score: 2

The term "黑箱" was a direct translation of a science term ["Black box](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box)" from English

> *["Black box](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box) is a device, **system** or object which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings.*
>
> ..........
>
> *Almost anything might be referred to as a black box: a transistor, an engine, an algorithm, the human brain, an **institution** or **government**.*

黑箱作业 in English should be ”black-box operation(s)” . (you can see what goes in and what comes out, but you never how the system works). Presuming the English speaker knows what is a 'black box'


---

