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偷 (tōu) — (verb) to steal; (adverb) stealthily, secretly (placed before a verb)

Definition

偷 is the everyday verb 'to steal' and also an adverb meaning 'stealthily, on the sly' before a verb. 盗窃/盗 are more formal/legal 'to steal'; 偷偷 is the adverb form with the same stealthy meaning.

verb
to steal
adverb
stealthilysecretly (placed before a verb)

Examples

  • 偷。
    Yǒu rén tōu le wǒ de qián bāo.
    Someone stole my wallet.
  • 。
    Tā tōu kàn le wǒ yì yǎn.
    He stole a glance at me.
  • 。
    Bié ràng rén tōu zǒu nǐ de dōng xī.
    Don't let people steal your things.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 61000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsCrime & Police2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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