婾 (tōu) - To steal & to pilfer

婾Tone 1

tōu ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

婷婉

婾 · tōu

To steal;

to pilfer;

to be negligent;

to be remiss;

to be lazy;

to be frivolous;

also an archaic variant of 偷 (tōu) meaning 'to steal'.

To stealto pilferto be negligent

Usage highlights

to stealnegligentfrivolousto pilferlazyremiss

Synonyms

  • 偷— to steal (modern standard character)
  • 窃— to steal secretly
  • 盗— to rob, to steal
  • 惰— lazy, negligent

Antonyms

  • 勤— diligent, industrious
  • 诚— honest, sincere
  • 奉— to offer, to devote

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He was accused of stealing (婾窃) from the company.
  • She was negligent (婾惰) in her duties.
  • The official was criticized for his frivolous (婾安) lifestyle.
  • In ancient texts, 婾 is sometimes used to mean 'to steal' (婾盗).

Collocations

  • to steal(婾窃)
  • negligent(婾惰)
  • frivolous(婾安)
  • to pilfer(婾盗)
  • lazy(婾懒)
  • remiss(婾慢)

Idioms

  • Negligent and lazy(婾惰成性)
  • Frivolous and pleasure-seeking(婾安苟且)
  • To steal and pilfer(婾鸡摸狗)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 婾 is an archaic character that is rarely used in modern Chinese, having been largely replaced by 偷 for the 'steal' meaning.
  • In classical texts, it could carry connotations of moral negligence or laziness beyond just theft.
  • Its use in names is extremely rare due to its negative semantic field.

FAQ