Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (亻) should be narrower and slightly elevated, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component (俞) to maintain structural equilibrium without leaning.
1. Meaning
to steal
to pilferto snatchthiefstealthilyto do something covertly or by stealth
Verb / AdverbNeutral#crime#actions#behavior
Sample Usage
有人偷了他的钱包。
Yǒu rén tōu le tā de qiánbāo.
Someone stole his wallet.
他偷偷地看了她一眼。
Tā tōutōu de kàn le tā yī yǎn.
He stole a glance at her secretly.
2. Sound
/[tʰoʊ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
偷
tōutou1
|
++
¯(55)
=tōu
Initial Consonant
t
Type: Aspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: t sound
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Explosive puff of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST flutter.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip pressed against the alveolar ridge behind upper front teeth, releasing a burst of air.
Final Rhyme
ou
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ou rhymes with oh
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, similar to holding a single musical note at the top of your speaking range.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse it with 'tuō' (to take off/drop), which uses the same consonant and vowel but carries Tone 1 with a slightly different vowel quality or Tone 1 dip/fall depending on the exact final, though here the main trap is tone confusion with Tone 2 (tóu) or Tone 4 (tòu).
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Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your hand flat and steady at eye level, making a straight horizontal motion from left to right.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (亻) should be narrower and slightly elevated, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component (俞) to maintain structural equilibrium without leaning.
4. Components
Radical亻 · Person radical (human, person)
Semantic Clue (形旁):亻 (indicates human action or behavior)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):俞 (original sound: tōu)
A person (亻) acting like 俞 (yú/tōu) — sneaking around to take things that do not belong to them.
亻 semantic component representing a person
俞 phonetic component providing the sound clue
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
21· Phonetic Root: 俞 (yú)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: The character combines the person radical (亻) indicating human agency with 俞 (yú), which originally suggested assent or movement, later borrowing its sound for the concept of taking stealthily.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referring to covert actions or taking things without permission, it expanded to cover both the verb 'to steal' and adverbial usage like 'secretly'.
The phonetic component 俞 itself appears in several character families denoting movement or passing through.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
thâu
Matches the Mandarin high level tone with the Vietnamese ngang or sắc register depending on historical derivation.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: トウ / Kun: ぬす.む
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
투
Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian literary root yielding readings like 'tou' or 'thu'.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
A PERSON (亻) sneaks around quietly, trying to TOEdrop (tōu) past the guard to steal a valuable treasure.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
输
shūto transport, to loseUses vehicle radical (车) + 俞, meaning to carry or convey goods.
喻
yùmetaphor, to understandUses mouth radical (口) + 俞, relating to words and explanation.
愉
yúhappy, delightedUses heart radical (忄) + 俞, relating to inner feelings of joy.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
喻(yù)
喻 uses the mouth radical (口) for speaking/metaphor, whereas 偷 uses the person radical (亻) for a person stealing.
愉(yú)
愉 uses the heart radical (忄) for emotions, whereas 偷 uses the person radical (亻).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
小心！有人想[___]你的自行车。
Clue: tōu
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the left radical with other similar elements like 彳 or forgetting the exact internal structure of the right component 俞.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 偷 mean and how is it pronounced with tones?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to steal' (tōu) and what are its components?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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偷tōuto steal
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