顺手牵羊 (shùn shǒu qiān yáng) — (idiom) to make off with something; to pilfer when the opportunity presents itself (lit. 'lead away a goat')

Definition

Examples

• 他看到商店没人，就顺手牵羊，偷了一个手机。
  Tā kàn dào shāng diàn méi rén, jiù shùn shǒu qiān yáng, tōu le yí gè shǒu jī.
  He saw the store was empty, so he took the opportunity to steal a phone.
• 在混乱中，有人顺手牵羊，拿走了别人的钱包。
  Zài hùn luàn zhōng, yǒu rén shùn shǒu qiān yáng, ná zǒu le bié rén de qián bāo.
  In the confusion, someone took advantage and snatched someone else's wallet.
• 这种顺手牵羊的行为虽然不合法，但很多人觉得是小事情。
  Zhè zhǒng shùn shǒu qiān yáng de xíng wéi suī rán bù hé fǎ, dàn hěn duō rén jué de shì xiǎo shì qing.
  Although this kind of opportunistic theft is illegal, many people consider it trivial.