Chinese word

走私

Pronunciation

Pinyinzǒu sī

Meaning

  • verbsmuggle

Example

他因走私被抓了。tā yīn zǒu sī bèi zhuā le

He was arrested for smuggling.

Illustration for 走私 (smuggle)

More examples

检察机关指控他非法走私武器。jiǎn chá jī guān zhǐ kòng tā fēi fǎ zǒu sī wǔ qì

The prosecution accused him of illegally smuggling weapons.

Core concept

A hidden route that carries controlled goods around official checks.

Common phrases

  • 走私货物zǒu sī huò wù

    smuggle goods

  • 走私武器zǒu sī wǔ qì

    smuggle weapons

  • 走私途径zǒu sī tú jìng

    smuggling route

Similar words

偷运tōu yùn: Transport goods secretly so that officials or others do not find them.
偷渡tōu dù: Secretly and illegally travel across a border or over the sea.

Definition in Chinese

秘密运输受管制或禁止的物品，通常为了逃避缴纳关税或躲避法律监管而进行的非法行为。mì mì yùn shū shòu guǎn zhì huò jìn zhǐ de wù pǐn tōng cháng wèi le táo bì jiǎo nà guān shuì huò duǒ bì fǎ lǜ jiān guǎn ér jìn xíng de fēi fǎ xíng wéi

Word origin

走 (zǒu, "go") + 私 (sī, "private") literally suggests moving something privately, a formation that developed the sense of transporting goods outside official control.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the word often takes the name of the goods as its object, so the noun after it helps identify what is being moved illegally.

Other meanings

  • smugglingnoun
  • smuggle inverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 走私犯zǒu sī fànsmugglernoun
  • 走私分子zǒu sī fēn zismuggling operativenoun

Word lists with this word