TongTong
Sign in

偷盗 (tōu dào) — to steal (formal/literary)

Definition

A formal, written term for 'to steal' — used in legal/official contexts (e.g., 偷盗案, 偷盗罪) rather than everyday speech, where 偷 is more common.

verb
to steal (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 偷盗。
    Tā yīn wèi tōu dào bèi jǐng chá zhuā zǒu le.
    He was caught by the police for stealing.
  • 偷盗。
    tōu dào Tā rén cái wù shì wéi fǎ xíng wéi.
    Stealing others' property is illegal.
  • 偷盗。
    Zhè ge bó wù guǎn céng fā shēng guò yì qǐ tōu dào àn.
    This museum once had a theft case.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

偷tōusteal
盗dàorob

Two near-synonymous actions, 偷 and 盗, combine to mean steal or pilfer.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盜; 盗 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 盜 combines 㳄 (drooling/craving) with a vessel shape, meaning to covet someone else's possessions and steal; 盗 is the simplified writing of 盜.

Open 盗 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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