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剽窃 (piāo qiè) — to plagiarize; to steal (someone else's work or ideas)

Definition

Formal/written verb meaning to plagiarize or steal another's work, ideas, or creative output. In everyday speech, speakers usually say 抄 or 抄袭 instead.

verb
to plagiarizeto steal (someone else's work or ideas)

Examples

  • 剽窃。
    Bù néng piāo qiè bié rén de lùn wén.
    You must not plagiarize someone else's thesis.
  • 剽窃。
    Tā yīn wèi piāo qiè huà jiā de zuò pǐn bèi qǐ sù le.
    He was sued for plagiarizing the painter's work.
  • 剽窃。
    piāo qiè Tā rén de chuàng yì shì bú dào dé de xíng wéi.
    Plagiarizing others' ideas is unethical behavior.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

剽piāorob
窃qièsteal

Both 剽 and 窃 mean taking what belongs to another, so together they name plagiarism.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 竊; 窃 is its simplified writing.

  • 米米mǐrice
  • 攴攴pūaction
  • 禼禼xiè

For 窃, the traditional form 竊 combines 米 and 攴 with 禼, which gives the sound.

Open 窃 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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