偷窃 (tōu qiè) — to steal (formal/literary) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

偷窃 (tōuqiè) is a formal, written verb meaning 'to steal,' mostly used in legal or news contexts (e.g. 偷窃罪, 偷窃事件). It is more formal than the everyday 偷.

verb

to steal (formal/literary)

Examples

偷窃。
Tā yīn tōu qiè bèi pàn le sān nián tú xíng.
He was sentenced to three years in prison for theft.
偷窃。
Zhè zhǒng xíng wéi shǔ yú tōu qiè.
This kind of behavior constitutes theft.
偷窃。
Gōng sī zuì jìn fā shēng le yì qǐ tōu qiè shì jiàn.
A theft incident recently occurred at the company.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

Both parts mean steal, together forming a formal word for stealing.

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.

亻俞偷

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.

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 竊; 窃 is its simplified writing.

米米mǐrice
攴攴pūaction
禼禼xiè

For 窃, the traditional form 竊 combines 米 and 攴 with 禼, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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