盗 (dào) - to steal & to rob

盗Tone 4

dào ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

盗 · dào

to steal;

to rob;

thief;

bandit;

pirate;

to usurp;

to plagiarize.

to stealto robthief

Usage highlights

thiefrobberypirated copytomb raidingbandithijacking

Synonyms

  • 偷— to steal (more common for petty theft)
  • 窃— to steal (more formal/literary)
  • 贼— thief, traitor

Antonyms

  • 赠— to give as a gift
  • 还— to return (something)
  • 赏— to bestow, reward

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The thief stole the wallet (盗贼偷了钱包).
  • He was accused of plagiarism (他被指控盗版).
  • Online piracy is illegal (网络盗版是非法的).
  • The tomb robbers were arrested (盗墓者被逮捕了).

Collocations

  • thief(盗贼)
  • robbery(盗窃)
  • pirated copy(盗版)
  • tomb raiding(盗墓)
  • bandit(盗匪)
  • hijacking(盗劫)

Idioms

  • To cover one's ears while stealing a bell(掩耳盗铃)
  • To steal the sky and put up a sun(偷天盗日)
  • To follow in the wake of a thief(蹑足盗跖)
  • Great thieves steal states, small thieves steal goods(大盗盗国，小盗盗货)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese law, theft (盗) was one of the most severely punished crimes.
  • The character combines 'desire' (㳄) and 'vessel' (皿), suggesting coveting valuable objects.
  • Historical texts often distinguish between 盗 (theft/banditry) and 贼 (treason/murder), though modern usage sometimes blends them.

FAQ