That's a mean trick.

这法子真损。

《新英汉大辞典》

That was a mean trick.

那是一个卑鄙的骗局。

youdao

That was a mean trick!

那是一个卑劣的诡计！

youdao

They say the word "trick" can mean a shortened and effective way to express complex findings.

VOA: special.2010.01.19

I mean I'm not going to try to trick you or throw in things just to make sure you come to class, but it's usually a pretty good policy.

我不是和你们耍手段,也不是为让你们来上课而随便说说,但这通常是个好方法

耶鲁公开课 - 关于食物的心理学、生物学和政治学课程节选

The fact that Ascension has always found new uses to replace old ones does not mean the trick can be carried on indefinitely.

ECONOMIST: Ascension Island

The amount of spam in circulation was still growing, said Mr Stanley, but he did not think that the appearance of this trick would mean e-mail meltdown.

BBC: PC hard drive, Eyewire

What are the small ways you can lead (and I do mean, lead, not trick) folks, following their own self-interest and in the course of their normal activity, to take the necessary steps toward more sustainable operations and personal behavior?

FORBES: The Birds and Bees of Sustainability