贼 zéi — thief; traitor · English

贼

zéi

thief; traitor

At a glance · 贼

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从戈，則声，本义为败坏、伤害（贼仁），后指盗贼。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为毁伤，后指盗寇。

Structure

形声字，从戈（意符，兵事），則（zé）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinzéi

Radical贝

Strokes10

UnicodeU+8D3C

Character type形声

Theme军事

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English thief; traitor A thief or traitor; original sense to harm.

Français voleur; traître Un voleur ou traître ; sens originel nuire.

Español ladrón; traidor Un ladrón o traidor ; sentido original dañar.

العربية لص؛ خائن لص أو خائن؛ ومعناه الأصلي يضر.

Русский вор; предатель Вор или предатель; изначально вредить.

Common words

贼zéithief
盗贼dào zéibandit

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