Chinese word

小偷

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo tōu

Meaning

  • nounthief

Example

我在路上看到一个小偷。wǒ zài lù shàng kàn dào yí gè xiǎo tōu

I saw a thief on the road.

Illustration for 小偷 (thief)

More examples

我在地铁里看见一个小偷，他在摸别人的包。wǒ zài dì tiě lǐ kàn jiàn yí gè xiǎo tōu tā zài mō bié rén de bāo

I saw a thief on the subway touching someone else's bag.

Core concept

A person who quietly removes someone else's property, often unnoticed in a crowd or shop.

Common phrases

  • 看见小偷kàn jiàn xiǎo tōu

    see a thief

  • 追赶小偷zhuī gǎn xiǎo tōu

    chase a thief

Similar words

贼zéi: A person who steals things, in a broad and often informal sense.
扒手pá shǒu: A person who secretly takes things from someone's pocket or bag.
强盗qiáng dào: A person who takes money or property by using violence or threats.
盗贼dào zéi: A person who steals property, described in formal or literary language.

Definition in Chinese

以秘密或欺瞒手段取走他人财物的人，常见于拥挤处或商店，既可指扒手也可指偷走商品的人。yǐ mì mì huò qī mán shǒu duàn qǔ zǒu tā rén cái wù de rén cháng jiàn yú yōng jǐ chù huò shāng diàn jì kě zhǐ pá shǒu yě kě zhǐ tōu zǒu shāng pǐn de rén

Word origin

小 (xiǎo, "small") + 偷 (tōu, "steal") form 小偷 (xiǎotōu, "thief"), a compound whose literal wording suggests a petty or unobtrusive thief but whose modern meaning is the ordinary word for a thief.

Usage tips

  • On station, market, and tourist-area signs, this word often appears in brief warnings about theft, so recognizing it helps interpret public notices quickly.

Other meanings

  • pickpocketnoun
  • shoplifternoun

Word lists with this word