窃 (qiè) — to steal; to pilfer; secretly; stealthily
Definition
窃 is a literary bound form meaning 'to steal' or 'secretly/stealthily.' It is formal and bookish — spoken Chinese uses 偷 instead. Often appears in compounds like 窃取, 窃笑, and the self-deprecating 窃以为 ('I humbly think').
bound form
to stealto pilfersecretlystealthily
Examples
- 。Tā yīn wèi qiè qǔ gōng sī wén jiàn bèi kāi chú le.He was fired for stealing company documents.
- 。Tā men duǒ zài jiǎo luò lǐ qiè xiào.They hid in the corner and snickered.
- 窃。Wǒ qiè yǐ wéi zhè ge fāng àn bù kě xíng.In my humble opinion, this plan is not feasible.
Appears in
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