贼

zéi

CL 个 gè

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Noun Common

Definitions

1. thief
2. traitor
3. wily
4. deceitful
5. evil
6. extremely

Character focus

Stroke order

10 strokes

Reset Play Next stroke

Word relationships

Register variants

1 item

• 奸贼 jiān zéi 奸贼 jiān zéi a traitor Treacherous villain; formal or literary usage.: a traitor

Related words

1 item

• 强盗 qiáng dào 强盗 qiáng dào to rob (with force) A robber, often involving violence; broader criminal sense.: to rob (with force)

Synonyms

1 item

• 小偷 xiǎo tōu 小偷 xiǎo tōu thief Both refer to a thief; 贼 is more colloquial or derogatory, while 小偷 is neutral.: thief

Usage notes

Common mistakes

贼 as an adverb means 'extremely' in northern dialects (e.g., 贼好), but may be misunderstood in other regions.

Formality

贼 as 'thief' is very colloquial; in formal contexts, use 小偷 or 盗贼.

Example Sentences

1 shown

那个 贼 偷了我的钱包。

That thief stole my wallet.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 贼

• 上贼船 上贼船 shàng zéi chuán: lit. to board a pirate ship (idiom)
• 不怕贼偷就怕贼惦记 不怕贼偷就怕贼惦记 bù pà zéi tōu jiù pà zéi diàn jì: much worse than having something stolen is when a thief has you in his sights (idiom)
• 中贼鸥 中贼鸥 zhōng zéi ōu: (bird species of China) pomarine skua (Stercorarius pomarinus)
• 乱臣贼子 乱臣贼子 luàn chén zéi zǐ: rebels and traitors (idiom)
• 作贼 作贼 zuò zéi: to be a thief
• 做贼心虚 做贼心虚 zuò zéi xīn xū: to feel guilty as a thief (idiom); to have sth on one's conscience
• 胜者王侯败者贼 胜者王侯败者贼 shèng zhě wáng hóu bài zhě zéi: see 勝者王侯敗者寇|胜者王侯败者寇[shèng zhě wáng hóu bài zhě kòu]
• 叛贼 叛贼 pàn zéi: renegade
• 吸血乌贼 吸血乌贼 xī xuè wū zéi: vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis)
• 国贼 国贼 guó zéi: traitor to the nation
• 奸贼 奸贼 jiān zéi: a traitor
• 对着和尚骂贼秃 对着和尚骂贼秃 duì zhe hé shang mà zéi tū: lit. in the presence of a monk, insult another monk, calling him a bald-headed bandit (idiom)
• 山贼 山贼 shān zéi: brigand
• 惯贼 惯贼 guàn zéi: habitual thief
• 抓贼 抓贼 zhuā zéi: to catch a thief
• 采花贼 采花贼 cǎi huā zéi: lit. flower thief
• 擒贼擒王 擒贼擒王 qín zéi qín wáng: to defeat the enemy by capturing their chief (idiom)
• 枪乌贼 枪乌贼 qiāng wū zéi: squid
• 民贼独夫 民贼独夫 mín zéi dú fū: tyrant and oppressor of the people (idiom); traitorous dictator
• 海贼 海贼 hǎi zéi: pirate
• 海贼版 海贼版 hǎi zéi bǎn: pirate version
• 海贼王 海贼王 hǎi zéi wáng: One Piece (manga and anime)
• 汉贼不两立 汉贼不两立 hàn zéi bù liǎng lì: lit. Shu Han 蜀漢|蜀汉[shǔ hàn] and Cao Wei 曹魏[cáo wèi] cannot coexist (idiom)
• 乌贼 乌贼 wū zéi: cuttlefish
• 狗贼 狗贼 gǒu zéi: (insult) brigand
• 独夫民贼 独夫民贼 dú fū mín zéi: tyrant and oppressor of the people (idiom); traitorous dictator
• 盗贼 盗贼 dào zéi: robber
• 短尾贼鸥 短尾贼鸥 duǎn wěi zéi ōu: (bird species of China) parasitic jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus)
• 积贼 积贼 jī zéi: confirmed thief
• 窃贼 窃贼 qiè zéi: thief
• 篡贼 篡贼 cuàn zéi: usurper
• 老家贼 老家贼 lǎo jiā zéi: (dialect) sparrow
• 蟊贼 蟊贼 máo zéi: insect that damages cereal crop seedlings
• 认贼作父 认贼作父 rèn zéi zuò fù: lit. to acknowledge the bandit as one's father (idiom); fig. a complete betrayal
• 误上贼船 误上贼船 wù shàng zéi chuán: lit. to mistakenly board a pirate ship
• 贼亮 贼亮 zéi liàng: bright
• 贼喊捉贼 贼喊捉贼 zéi hǎn zhuō zéi: lit. a thief crying \Stop the thief!\ (idiom)
• 贼心 贼心 zéi xīn: evil intentions
• 贼死 贼死 zéi sǐ: completely
• 贼眉贼眼 贼眉贼眼 zéi méi zéi yǎn: see 賊眉鼠眼|贼眉鼠眼[zéi méi shǔ yǎn]
• 贼眉鼠眼 贼眉鼠眼 zéi méi shǔ yǎn: shifty-eyed
• 贼眼 贼眼 zéi yǎn: shifty gaze
• 贼秃 贼秃 zéi tū: (derog.) Buddhist monk
• 贼窝 贼窝 zéi wō: thieves' lair
• 贼船 贼船 zéi chuán: pirate ship
• 贼头贼脑 贼头贼脑 zéi tóu zéi nǎo: lit. to behave like a thief
• 卖国贼 卖国贼 mài guó zéi: traitor
• 逆贼 逆贼 nì zéi: renegade
• 长尾贼鸥 长尾贼鸥 cháng wěi zéi ōu: (bird species of China) long-tailed jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus)
• 关门捉贼 关门捉贼 guān mén zhuō zéi: to catch a thief by closing his escape route (idiom)
• 鸡贼 鸡贼 jī zéi: (dialect) stingy
• 飞贼 飞贼 fēi zéi: cat burglar
• 马贼 马贼 mǎ zéi: horse thief
• 闹贼 闹贼 nào zéi: (coll.) to be burglarized
• 麦氏贼鸥 麦氏贼鸥 mài shì zéi ōu: (bird species of China) South Polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki)