Chinese word

偷偷

Pronunciation

Pinyintōu tōu

Meaning

  • adverbsecretly

Example

她偷偷看了手机。tā tōu tōu kàn le shǒu jī

She secretly looked at her phone.

Illustration for 偷偷 (secretly)

More examples

他偷偷把那本书放回了书架。tā tōu tōu bǎ nà běn shū fàng huí le shū jià

He secretly put that book back on the bookshelf.

Core concept

An action slips along the edge of public notice, hidden from the people nearby.

Common phrases

  • 偷偷看tōu tōu kàn

    secretly look

  • 偷偷拿走tōu tōu ná zǒu

    secretly take away

Similar words

悄悄qiāo qiāo: Quietly and secretly, taking care not to make a sound.

Definition in Chinese

在别人看不见或不希望被发现时暗中进行某动作，侧重行为的隐蔽性，多用于口语场合。zài bié rén kàn bú jiàn huò bù xī wàng bèi fā xiàn shí àn zhōng jìn xíng mǒu dòng zuò cè zhòng xíng wéi de yǐn bì xìng duō yòng yú kóu yǔ chǎng hé

Word origin

In 偷偷 (tōutōu, "secretly"), the repeated 偷 (tōu, "to steal") shifts the image of concealed taking into a general manner of acting beyond other people's notice.

Usage tips

  • The word often adds a mild suggestion that an action is not meant for others to notice, but it does not by itself show that the action is wrong.

Other meanings

  • stealthilyadverb
  • privatelyadverb
  • sneakilyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word