盗

• Pinyin: dào
• Hanzi breakdown: 盗 = 次 + 皿 (a figure drooling over a vessel, indicating covetous theft)

Meaning

To steal; to rob; to take by theft. A verb and root morpheme meaning to take something unlawfully. Functions independently in formal contexts and as a prefix in theft-related compound words.

Used both as an independent verb in formal and literary Chinese and as a morpheme in compounds such as 盗窃, 盗版 (piracy), and 盗用 (misappropriation). Appears frequently in legal documents, news reports, and classical literature.

Examples

1. 博物馆的安保系统成功阻止了一次企图盗取文物的行动。 The museum's security system successfully prevented an attempt to steal cultural relics.
2. 网络上盗用他人作品的行为严重侵犯了著作权。 Using other people's works online without permission seriously infringes copyright.
3. 侦探追踪多条线索，终于找到了盗走珠宝的嫌疑人。 The detective followed multiple clues and finally found the suspect who had stolen the jewelry.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, literature, news

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 盗取机密信息。(To steal confidential information.)
• 严惩行盗者。(Severely punish those who commit theft.)

Don't Say

• 我盗了他的想法 — use 剽窃 or 抄袭 for plagiarism; 盗 is for physical theft or high-register formal writing

Origin & History

Single character meaning theft. Ancient form depicts a person coveting a vessel, indicating taking by desire.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal