xiǎo tōur
thief
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小偷儿偷了我的钱包。
xiǎotōur tōu le wǒ de qiánbāo.
The thief stole my wallet.
我看见一个小偷儿在偷东西。
wǒ kànjiàn yīgè xiǎotōur zài tōu dōngxi.
I saw a thief stealing something.
警察抓住了小偷儿。
jǐngchá zhuāzhùle xiǎotōur.
The police caught the thief.
扒手 (bāshǒu)
pickpocket
窃贼 (qièzéi)
thief
警察 (jǐng chá)
police
好人 (hǎo rén)
good person
The Chinese word 小偷儿 (xiǎotōur) for "thief" is composed of two characters: 小 (xiǎo), meaning "small" or "petty," and 偷 (tōu), meaning "to steal." The character 小 is often used as a diminutive suffix, and in this case, it suggests that the thief is not a hardened criminal, but rather a petty thief or someone who steals on a small scale. The character 偷, on the other hand, is a pictograph that depicts a hand reaching into a container, symbolizing the act of stealing. Together, the two characters 小偷儿 form a compound word that literally means "small thief" or "petty thief." This word is commonly used in everyday speech to refer to someone who steals, and it can also be used in a more general sense to refer to someone who is dishonest or untrustworthy.
