偷安 (tōu ān) — to seek temporary ease at the expense of long-term stability; to be complacent in a precarious situation

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to seek short-term ease at the cost of long-term safety' — typically about a government or ruler being complacent in a precarious situation. Used almost exclusively in formal or historical writing.

verb
to seek temporary ease at the expense of long-term stabilityto be complacent in a precarious situation

Examples

  • 偷安，。
    Cháo tíng bù néng tōu ān, bì xū jiā qiáng biān fáng.
    The court cannot seek temporary ease; it must strengthen border defenses.
  • ，。
    Zhè ge zhèng fǔ zhǐ gù tōu yì shí zhī ān, bú gù cháng yuǎn fā zhǎn.
    This government only cares about temporary ease, ignoring long-term development.
  • ，。
    Tā men tōu le jǐ nián ān, zuì zhōng fù chū le dài jià.
    They sought ease for a few years, and ultimately paid the price.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

偷tōutake/steal
安ānease

偷 suggests taking or getting by, and 安 points to ease; together it means getting a precarious ease without trying.

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.

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.

Open 偷 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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