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失窃 (shī qiè) — to be stolen, to suffer theft

Definition

失窃 (shīqiè) is a formal, written-style verb meaning 'to be stolen / to suffer theft' — used for events (homes, museums, offices) rather than the act itself, where 偷 (tōu) or 盗 (dào) names the thief's action.

verb
to be stolento suffer theft

Examples

  • 失窃，。
    Zuó wǎn lín jū jiā shī qiè le, jǐng chá zhèng zài diào chá.
    The neighbor's house was burgled last night; the police are investigating.
  • 失窃。
    Bó wù guǎn shī qiè de wén wù zhì jīn méi yǒu zhǎo huí.
    The cultural relics stolen from the museum have not been recovered to this day.
  • 失窃，。
    Gōng sī cái wù shì shī qiè hòu, jiā qiáng le ān bǎo cuò shī.
    After the company's finance office was burgled, security measures were strengthened.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

失shīlose
窃qiètheft

The idea of 失 losing is directed at 窃 theft, so the word means to suffer theft.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →

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.

Open 窃 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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