賊 (zéi) - Thief, traitor, rebel & cunning, crafty

賊Tone 2

zéi ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

悦丈

賊 · zéi

Thief, traitor, rebel;

cunning, crafty;

extremely, very (in modern colloquial usage).

Thief, traitor, rebelcunning, craftyextremely, very (in modern colloquial usage).

Usage highlights

ThiefTraitorRebel armyBanditCunning personThief's den

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 忠— loyal, faithful
  • 臣— minister, subject (loyal)
  • 正— upright, honest

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The police caught the thief (贼).
  • He is a crafty person (贼人).
  • This dish is extremely delicious (贼好吃).
  • The rebels were defeated (贼寇被击败).

Collocations

  • Thief(贼)
  • Traitor(国贼)
  • Rebel army(贼军)
  • Bandit(盗贼)
  • Cunning person(贼人)
  • Thief's den(贼窝)

Idioms

  • A thief's heart and a traitor's guts(贼心贼胆)
  • A thief crying 'Stop thief!'(贼喊捉贼)
  • Having the heart of a thief but lacking the courage(贼心不死)
  • Recognizing a thief as one's father(认贼作父)
  • A traitor to the nation(乱臣贼子)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used to denote rebels against imperial authority, not just common thieves.
  • In classical texts like 'Mencius', '贼' refers to those who violate moral principles.
  • In modern colloquial northern Chinese dialects, used as an intensifier meaning 'extremely'.
  • Carries strong negative moral judgment in formal contexts.

FAQ