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偷情 (tōu qíng) — to have a clandestine love affair (typically extramarital)

Definition

A verb meaning to carry on a secret romantic or sexual affair, usually extramarital. Implies the relationship itself is the focus, not a single act — distinct from 出轨, which emphasizes the moral/infidelity violation.

verb
to have a clandestine love affair (typically extramarital)

Examples

  • 偷情。
    Tā yīn wèi tōu qíng ér shī qù le jiā tíng.
    He lost his family because of a secret affair.
  • 。
    Tā gēn nà ge tóng shì tōu guò yí cì qíng.
    She had a clandestine affair with that colleague once.
  • 。
    Tā men tōu tōu qíng le liǎng nián cái bèi fā xiàn.
    They had been having a secret affair for two years before they were found out.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

偷tōusteal
情qínglove

偷 means steal, and 情 means love, so it pictures stealing a love affair.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
俞
俞yú偷tōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 亻, a standing person, points to the idea of someone doing the act, while the right part 俞 gives the character its sound.

Open 偷 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →
Appears in
Romance & Marriage

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