偷 Stroke Order — How to Write 偷
偷 is written in 11 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 亻, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
偷 Radical and Character Components
偷 is a phono-semantic compound: 亻 (person) carries the meaning, while 俞 indicates the sound.
Radical: 亻 + 9 more strokes
偷 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- tōu
Meanings of 偷 in Chinese
1
tōu偷
to steal; to pilfer; to snatch secretly
他偷偷地把最后一块蛋糕吃了。
He secretly ate the last piece of cake.
To do something secretly or stealthily, often without permission or knowledge of others; to sneak, peek, listen in, or pass illegally.
他偷偷地看了她一眼，生怕被发现。
He secretly glanced at her, afraid of being discovered.
To make or find time for something; to steal a moment of leisure or spare time.
我买了一本新书，晚上偷空儿看了几页
I bought a new book and managed to steal a moment in the evening to read a few pages.
To seek temporary ease or convenience, often in a precarious or unprincipled manner; to live a life of compromise or opportunism.
在艰难时期，有些人选择积极面对，而有些人则更倾向于偷安一时
In difficult times, some people choose to face them actively, while others are more inclined to seek temporary comfort.
Common Words and Phrases with 偷
1
to seek temporary ease or comfort; to be content with present ease without considering the future
我们不能因为眼前的舒适而偷安，应该为未来做好准备。
We cannot just seek temporary comfort because of the present ease; we should prepare for the future.
2
The act of stealing or pilfering, taking someone else's property without permission.
他因为在商店偷盗被捕。
He was arrested for shoplifting.
3
To illegally cross a border or enter a country without authorization.
为了追求更好的生活，一些人冒着生命危险，选择偷渡到更富裕的地区。
To pursue a better life, some people risk their lives and choose to illegally cross into more affluent regions.
4
to loaf on the job; to be lazy
他常常在工作中偷惰，导致任务无法按时完成。
He often slacks off at work, leading to tasks not being completed on time.
5
to skimp on work
装修师傅为了赶工期，有些地方明显偷工了，导致质量不佳。
To meet the deadline, the renovation workers clearly cut corners in some areas, resulting in poor quality.
6
To cut corners and use inferior materials, resulting in shoddy work or substandard products.
这家制造商为了追求更高的利润，在新产品中偷工减料，最终损害了其品牌声誉。
To achieve higher profits, this manufacturer cut corners and used inferior materials in its new product, ultimately harming its brand reputation.
7
To secretly show tender concern for someone's comfort and well-being.
王阿姨对新来的同事总是偷寒送暖，让大家很快就适应了新的环境。
Aunt Wang always discreetly showed thoughtful care and concern for the new colleagues, helping everyone quickly adapt to the new environment.
8
To commit adultery (said of a woman); to have an illicit affair with a man.
她因为偷汉子被丈夫发现，家里闹得不可开交
Her husband discovered she was having an affair, causing a huge row at home.
9
To fall in with others' wishes and curry favor to gain acceptance.
为了在团队中获得更好的机会，小王有时会对他人的意见偷合苟容，即使内心并不完全认同。
To secure better opportunities within the team, Xiao Wang sometimes compromises his integrity and conforms to others' opinions, even if he doesn't fully agree inwardly.
10
to secretly replace or substitute
他趁人不备，把合同中的条款偷换了。
He surreptitiously substituted the terms in the contract when no one was paying attention.
11
To drag out an ignoble existence; to live a precarious or shameful life.
小王工作的时候总是喜欢偷活，只做最基本的事情，从不主动承担更多
Xiao Wang always likes to shirk his duties at work, only doing the bare minimum and never proactively taking on more responsibilities.
12
To attempt to gain something by dishonest or cunning means, but instead suffer a greater loss; literally 'to try to steal a chicken but end up losing the rice'.
他本想利用周末空闲时间炒股赚点外快，结果股市大跌，不但没赚到钱，反而把本金也亏了一大半，真是偷鸡不着蚀把米。
He originally intended to use his free time on weekends to trade stocks and earn some extra money. However, the stock market plummeted, and not only did he fail to make any money, but he also lost a large part of his principal, truly losing more than he gained in the process.
13
To engage in petty theft or illicit sexual relations, often acting in a sneaky and underhand way.
他从小就喜欢偷鸡摸狗，常常在邻居家的小菜园里偷摘蔬菜。
Since childhood, he has been fond of engaging in petty theft, often secretly picking vegetables from his neighbor's small garden.
14
To gain advantage through dishonest means or clever tricks, often by shirking work.
为了在考试中取得好成绩，他总是想着如何偷奸取巧，而不是认真复习。
To get good grades in exams, he always thought about how to cut corners, instead of diligently reviewing.
15
To peek or peep secretly; to steal a glance.
她透过窗帘的缝隙偷看外面。
She peeped outside through a gap in the curtains.
16
to snatch a moment; to find time to do something else amidst a busy schedule
我最近工作很忙，但每天都会偷空看看书。
I've been very busy with work recently, but I still make time to read a book every day.
More words with 偷
- guàn惯tōu偷habitual thief, repeat offender
- tōu偷qiè窃theft, to steal
- tōu偷tōu偷secretly, stealthily
- tōu偷zǒu走steal, abscond with
- tōu偷chī吃eat secretly, have an affair
- tōu偷lǎn懒to be lazy, to slack off
- xiǎo小tōu偷thief, burglar
- tōu偷xí袭surprise attack, sneak attack
- tōu偷tīng听eavesdrop, overhear
- tōu偷dōng东xi西steal, shoplift
- tōu偷lái来stolen, pilfered
- tōu偷liè猎zhě者poacher, illegal hunter
- tōu偷yú鱼to steal fish
- tōu偷zhāi摘To pilfer, To pick secretly
- xiǎo小tōu偷men们thieves
- tōu偷ná拿pilfer, swipe
- tōu偷shí食cheat, have an affair
- tōu偷kòng空er儿steal a moment, snatch a moment
- tōu偷shuì税lòu漏shuì税tax evasion, tax fraud
- tōu偷ān安yì一shí时seek momentary ease, take temporary comfort
Idioms with 偷
- tōu偷ān安dàn旦xī夕seek temporary ease
- tōu偷dōng东mō摸xī西to pilfer small things
- tōu偷hé合qǔ取róng容fawn on others for favor
- tōu偷lǎn懒shuǎ耍huá滑shirk work and be cunning
- tōu偷liáng梁huàn换zhù柱secretly replace with inferior substitute
- tōu偷tiān天huàn换rì日secretly alter truth for deception
- tōu偷tōu偷mō摸mō摸do something stealthily or surreptitiously
- tōu偷xián闲duǒ躲jìng静steal a moment of peace and quiet
- tōu偷xiāng香qiè窃yù玉seduce women
- tōu偷yíng营jié劫zhài寨raid enemy camp
- àn暗yuē约tōu偷qī期secretly arrange a clandestine meeting
- dōng东tōu偷xī西mō摸pilfer here and there
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Open the tool →Questions about 偷
What does 偷 mean in Chinese?
偷 (tōu) means “to steal” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 偷?
偷 is pronounced tōu in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 偷 have?
偷 has 11 strokes.
How do you write 偷?
偷 is written in 11 strokes, starting from the radical 亻. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 偷?
The radical of 偷 is 亻, and 偷 is a phono-semantic compound.
