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偷窥 (tōu kuī) — to peep, to peek into (someone's private space); to act as a voyeur

Definition

偷窥 (tōu kuī) means 'to peep, to voyeuristically peek' — stealing a look at someone's private space. Unlike the single-syllable 偷 ('to steal' or 'stealthily' as an adverb), 偷窥 is a fixed compound specifically about invading privacy, not theft.

verb
to peepto peek into (someone's private space)to act as a voyeur

Examples

  • 偷窥。
    Tā yīn wèi tōu kuī bié rén de wò shì ér bèi jǐng chá zhuā le.
    He was caught by the police for peeping into someone's bedroom.
  • 偷窥。
    Qǐng bú yào tōu kuī wǒ de shǒu jī píng mù.
    Please don't peek at my phone screen.
  • 偷窥。
    tōu kuī Xíng wéi zài fǎ lǜ shàng shì wéi fǎ de.
    Voyeuristic behavior is illegal under the law.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

偷tōusecretly
窥kuīpeep

偷 'secretly' and 窥 'peep' combine to mean peeping without being seen.

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 窺; 窥 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xué
Sound part声符shēngfú
規
規guī窺kuī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 窺 puts 穴 (hole) beside 規, which gives the sound; the simplified 窥 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 窥 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & Police

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