海盗

• Pinyin: hǎi dào
• Hanzi breakdown: 海 = sea; 盗 = 次 + 皿 (vessel) — someone who steals from vessels, a thief

Meaning

Pirate; a person who robs or attacks ships at sea.

Refers to maritime pirates both historically and in modern contexts (e.g. Somali piracy). Also used figuratively in digital contexts for software piracy (盗版), though 海盗 alone typically retains its maritime meaning. Appears in historical texts, international news, and popular culture.

Examples

1. 索马里沿海的海盗活动曾严重威胁国际航运的安全。 Pirate activity off the coast of Somalia once posed a serious threat to the safety of international shipping.
2. 这部电影以十八世纪加勒比海海盗为背景，情节跌宕起伏。 Set against the backdrop of eighteenth-century Caribbean pirates, the movie’s plot is full of twists and turns.
3. 各国海军联合开展巡逻行动，有效遏制了该海峡的海盗威胁。 Joint naval patrols by multiple countries have effectively curbed the pirate threat in the strait.

Usage Guide

Context: history, news, popular culture, international relations

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 联合国通过决议，授权各成员国对该地区的海盗采取必要的反制措施。(The UN passed a resolution authorising member states to take necessary counter-measures against pirates in the region.)
• 这批文物是从一艘十七世纪海盗船的残骸中打捞出来的。(These cultural relics were salvaged from the wreck of a seventeenth-century pirate ship.)

Don't Say

• 他是网络海盗 — for digital piracy use 盗版者 or 网络盗版行为; 海盗 almost always refers to maritime pirates

Origin & History

海 (sea) + 盗 (thief, to steal, to rob)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal