THIEF    竊賊

VILLAIN who STEALS.
ROBBERBURGLARHOUSEBREAKERCAT BURGLARRUSTLERSHOPLIFTERPICKPOCKETPURSE SNATCHERSNEAK THIEFMUGGEREMBEZZLERSWINDLERPLUNDERERCRIMINALVILLAINKLEPTOMANIACBANDITPIRATEHIGHWAYMANINFORMAL CROOKLITERARY BRIGAND
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The standard word for a professional or at least specialised thief is dào 盜. Dà dào 大盜 is a notorious professional thief, jù dào 巨盜 is a professional large scale robber. 2. Zéi 賊 refers to a bandit or a villain who can be hired to commit crimes, and his villainy often consists in hired murder. It may or may not consist in robbery. See VILLAIN. 3. Qiè 竊 is occasionally used to refer to a petty thief.
黄金貴：古漢語同義詞辨釋詞典
HUANG JINGUI 2006 HUMAN AFFAIRS 50. THIEF 偷盜者。 竊，手段詭秘的小偷。 偷，小偷，漢時出現的口語詞。 盜，小偷或搶劫財物的人。 賊，殺人越貨的強盜。 寇，結伙搶劫的盜匪。 暴客，攜帶兵器的外來強盜。
Modern Chinese Criteria
竊賊 賊 小偷 偷兒 癟三 宵小 賊骨頭 賊胚 白日撞 梁上君子 鼠竊狗盜 穿窬之盜 雞鳴狗盜 妙手空空兒 慣賊 慣竊 慣偷 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hypernym
  • VILLAIN　ADULT who is WICKED AND HAS ACTED:committed CRIMES. (anc: 8/0, child: 1)
  • ADULT　HUMAN who is SUFFICIENTLY OLD to ESTABLISH his/her SEPARATE HOME. (anc: 7/0, child: 20)
  • HUMAN　ANIMAL which HAS TWO LEGS AND LACKS FEATHERS. (anc: 6/0, child: 31)
  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 11.57

  • De differentiis ( DIFFERENTIAE I) p. 433

    340. Sic ipse Etymolog. lib. X, littera L. Varro, quod circa latera ferrum habeat. Fest., quod a latere adoriatur, aut

    .

    --Serv., ad ill. III Georg.: Nocturnum stabulis furem.

    ]

    340. Inter Latronem et furem. Qui alienum involat [ Al., aliquid subtrahit], fur est; qui furatur et occidit, latro est. Proprie autem latro a latitando insidiis [ Forte, in insidiis] dictus; fur autem a furvo vocatus, id est, nigro; nam noctis utitur tempore. Pulchre autem Plautus cuidam [ Al., de quodam] qui furabatur ait ( Plaut. Aulularia): Tu trium litterarum [col. 45C] homo, id est, fur.

  • Lateinische Synonyme und Etymologien ( DOEDERLEIN 1840) p.

    ROBBER

    praedo refers generally to the robber insofar as he commits the robbery with his own hands.

    raptor refers to a robber of some specified kind of commodity which he steals.

    latro refers to the highwayman.

  • Anthologia sive Florilegium rerum et materiarum selectarum ( LANGIUS 1631) p.

    LATRO

  • 論衡同義詞研究 ( LUNHENG TONGYI 2004) p. 37

  • "Sachwoerterbuch zum Alten China" ( UNGER SACH) p.

    RAEUBER

  • 王力古漢語字典 ( WANG LI 2000) p. 778

    盜，竊，賊

    1. Da4o 盜 can refer to a thief who is hired to kill, but the word does not specifically refer to a hired assassin but to a robber or thief. The word has no standard figurative or metaphorical meanings. Ze2i 賊 regularly refers to a hired assassins, indeed the word regularly means "to assassinate", and crimes against property are not the primary business of the ze2i 賊 "bandit, villain; foe; hired assassin", and the word is regularly used in derived figurative senses referring not even to persons but to inimical social factors.

    • Words (14 items)

    盜  dào OC: daaws MC: dɑu 53 Attributions

    The standard word for a professional or at least specialised thief is dào 盜. Dà dào 大盜 is a notorious professional thief, jù dào 巨盜 is a professional large scale robber.

      Word relations
    • Assoc: 寇/VILLAIN Kòu 寇 refers to thugs and robbers, particularly enemies of the state.
    • Assoc: 賊/THIEF Zéi 賊 refers to a bandit or a villain who can be hired to commit crimes, and his villainy often consists in hired murder. It may or may not consist in robbery. See VILLAIN.
    • Assoc: 賊/VILLAIN The most general and comprehensive term for a villain is zéi 賊, and the basic association is with the damage he does. There is no special association with murder or thievery

      Syntactic words
    • n+NprtitleThief X 盜跖
    • nagentthief, common burglar; criminals
    小盜  xiǎo dào OC: smewʔ daaws MC: siɛu dɑu 4 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPpetty thief
    賈盜  gǔ dào MC: kuX dawH OC: kaaʔ daaws 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPmerchants, thiefs and similar persons stealing money from other peopleLZ
    六賊  liù zéi OC: ɡ-ruɡ sɡɯɯɡ MC: luk dzək 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPbuddhistBUDDH: the Six Thieves (which steal all the good dharmas) > the six sense objects (see 六塵)
    劫盜  jié dào OC: kab daaws MC: ki̯ɐp dɑu 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPabrobbery, thievery
    • NPpluralthieves
    賊  zéi OC: sɡɯɯɡ MC: dzək 1 Attribution

    Zéi 賊 refers to a bandit or a villain who can be hired to commit crimes, and his villainy often consists in hired murder. It may or may not consist in robbery. See VILLAIN.

      Word relations
    • Assoc: 盜/THIEF The standard word for a professional or at least specialised thief is dào 盜. Dà dào 大盜 is a notorious professional thief, jù dào 巨盜 is a professional large scale robber.

      Syntactic words
    • n{PRED}be a thief
    賊人  zéi rén OC: sɡɯɯɡ njin MC: dzək ȵin 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • NPthief
    宄  guǐ OC: kʷruʔ MC: ki 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • nthief
    狗盜  gǒu dào OC: kooʔ daaws MC: ku dɑu 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • NPa thief specialising in dog-like thievery
    竊  qiè OC: tsheed MC: tshet 1 Attribution

    Qiè 竊 is occasionally used to refer to a petty thief.

      Syntactic words
    • nthief
    寇賊  kòu zéi OC: khoos sɡɯɯɡ MC: khu dzək 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VP+Nchangebecome robbers and thieves
    盜人  dào rén OC: daaws njin MC: dɑu ȵin 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPthief
    路賊  lù zéi OC: ɡ-raaɡs sɡɯɯɡ MC: luo̝ dzək 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NProbbers plying their trade on the roads (FIND THE TERM, FOR GOD'S SAKE!)
    偷  tōu OC: lʰoo MC: thu 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • v[adN]thief