HanziGuru.賊 · zéi
賊
zéi[zei2]Tone 2

thief; robber; extremely

HSK 7
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贼
Guru Deep Dive

English · thief; robber; extremely

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:13
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (贝) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (戉) balances it by stretching wider and encompassing the lower components with a firm downward diagonal stroke.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 賊 simplifies the shell component on the left (貝 to 贝) according to standard Chinese character simplification rules.
1. Meaning

thief or robber

traitor or subversiveevil or wickedsly or deviousextremely or insanely (colloquial)
Noun, Adjective, AdverbNeutral to colloquial#crime#personality#intensity
Sample Usage
  • 抓贼啊！
    zhuā zéi a!
    Catch the thief!
  • 这苹果贼甜。
    zhè píngguǒ zéi tián.
    This apple is damn sweet.
2. Sound
/[t͡sei³⁵]/Tone: 35
賊
zéizei2
++
´(35)
=zéi
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
zei
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
z
Type: Unaspirated Dental Sibilant
Sounds like: ds/ts sound in 'beds' or 'cats'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff (sounds like 'ds' in English 'cards'). Tissue still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip lightly touching behind the upper or lower front teeth, releasing flat friction.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: ei rhymes with 'hey' or 'day'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like a surprise question in English, e.g., 'Huh?' or 'Really?'
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, it shifts slightly, though as an isolated syllable it maintains its rising 35 pitch contour.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse 'zéi' with 'zhéi' or 'zuì'; ensure the initial is an unaspirated alveolar 'z-' rather than a retroflex 'zh-' or labialized 'zu-'.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture starting from chest level and sweeping upward to eye level, mirroring a questioning 'What?'
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (贝) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (戉) balances it by stretching wider and encompassing the lower components with a firm downward diagonal stroke.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 賊 simplifies the shell component on the left (貝 to 贝) according to standard Chinese character simplification rules.

4. Components

Radical 贝 · Shell radical (money, valuables, currency)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 贝 (Indicates wealth or valuables, which a thief targets.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 戎 (original sound: róng / zéi)

A person targeting valuables (贝) with a weapon or military force (戉) is committing robbery, making them a thief (贼).

  • 贝 Valuables, wealth
  • 戉 Battle-axe or weapon
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined a weapon symbol (戉) representing harm or destruction with valuables (贝), denoting someone who armed themselves to plunder property.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from destructive military aggression and plunder to general thievery, then expanded metaphorically to mean traitorous, wicked, or colloquially as an intensifier.

  • In classical texts, '贼' often referred to rebels, enemies, or political traitors rather than petty pickpockets.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
tặc
The entering tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to stop consonants, whereas Mandarin zéi carries a rising tone.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ゾク (zoku) / Kun: そく (soku)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
적
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

A shady character sneaks up on a chest of valuables (贝) brandishing a battle-axe (戉). He is a masked thief (zéi) stealing everyone's goods!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
貝
Phonetic Core (声旁)
唄
+ 口 (mouth)
敗
+ 攵 (strike)
狽
+ 犭 (dog)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
则(zé)
‘则’ has a knife (刂) on the right instead of the weapon/shell combination, meaning 'rule' or 'then'.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
那個[___]趁著夜色偷走了商店裡的東西。
Clue: zéi
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the character structure with ‘则’ or mispronouncing the initial as a retroflex ‘zh’ instead of the alveolar ‘z’.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 贼 mean and how is it pronounced in Tone 2?
Production: How do you write the character for 'thief' (zéi) containing the shell radical on the left?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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