盜 (dào) - To steal, rob, plunder & a thief, robber, bandit

盜Tone 4

dào ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

盜 · dào

To steal, rob, plunder;

a thief, robber, bandit;

used metaphorically for usurpation or wrongful taking.

To steal, rob, plundera thief, robber, banditused metaphorically for usurpation or wrongful taking.

Usage highlights

To steal/commit theftPirated editionRobber/banditTomb raidingHijackingPlagiarism

Synonyms

  • 偷— to steal (more general term)
  • 竊— to steal secretly
  • 賊— thief, burglar

Antonyms

  • 贈— to give as a gift
  • 還— to return, give back
  • 獻— to offer, dedicate

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The thief stole the wallet (盜竊錢包).
  • Online piracy is illegal (網絡盜版).
  • He was accused of robbery (他被指控盜劫).
  • Ancient tomb robbers (盜墓賊).

Collocations

  • To steal/commit theft(盜竊)
  • Pirated edition(盜版)
  • Robber/bandit(盜賊)
  • Tomb raiding(盜墓)
  • Hijacking(盜用)
  • Plagiarism(盜文)

Idioms

  • To deceive the world and steal a reputation(欺世盜名)
  • To steal the sky and change the sun(偷天盜日)
  • To open the door and invite the robber in(開門揖盜)
  • The thief cries 'stop thief'(賊喊捉盜)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese law and morality, '盜' was a serious crime with severe punishments.
  • The character appears in many historical texts about banditry and social unrest.
  • Modern usage extends to intellectual property theft like software piracy (盜版).

FAQ