贼 (zéi) - thief, traitor, extremely (slang), cunning & used historically to refer to rebels or bandits

贼Tone 2

zéi ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

悦丈

贼 · zéi

thief, traitor, extremely (slang), cunning;

used historically to refer to rebels or bandits

thief, traitor, extremely (slang), cunningused historically to refer to rebels or bandits

Usage highlights

thiefburglartraitorbanditthief's denthief's accomplice

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 忠— loyal, faithful
  • 警— police, alert

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The thief stole my wallet (贼偷了我的钱包).
  • He is extremely cunning (他贼得很).
  • That's really cool (slang) (那贼酷).
  • Catch the thief!(抓贼!)

Collocations

  • thief(贼)
  • burglar(盗贼)
  • traitor(国贼)
  • bandit(贼寇)
  • thief's den(贼窝)
  • thief's accomplice(贼伙)

Idioms

  • Recognize a thief by his looks(认贼作父)
  • Make a thief your father(认贼作父)
  • Thief shouting 'stop thief'(贼喊捉贼)
  • A thief's heart is虚(做贼心虚)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used to refer to rebels against the state, not just common thieves
  • In imperial China, '贼' carried strong political connotations of treason and rebellion
  • In modern colloquial usage, especially in northern dialects, it can mean 'extremely' or 'very' as an intensifier

FAQ