TongTong
Sign in

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

A chengyu for stealing small things opportunistically, taking advantage of a careless moment. Implies petty, opportunistic theft rather than planned crime.

idiom
to make off with somethingto pilfer when the opportunity presents itself (lit. 'lead away a goat')

Examples

  • ，顺手牵羊，。
    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.
  • ，顺手牵羊，。
    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.
  • 顺手牵羊，。
    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.

Origin

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 順; 顺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
川
川chuān順shùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 順 pairs 川 (river), which gives the sound, with 頁 (head); the picture is a head in a river, following the current. The simplified 顺 is a shorthand.

Open 顺 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

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 牽; 牵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
牛牛niúcow, ox
Sound part声符shēngfú
玄
玄xuán牽qiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 牽 is built from 玄 and 牛, an ox, giving the picture of leading an ox by hand. The simplified 牵 is a later shorthand.

Open 牵 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 羊 comes from a drawing of a ram's head.

Open 羊 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceIdioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.