偷

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to steal; to pilfer; to snatch; thief; stealthily

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

亻 meaning “person” + 俞 sound ( yú )

Components 亻俞

steal · Heisig RSH #2077

人 person + slaughterhouse

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
小偷儿	xiǎo tōu r	erhua form of 小偷[xiao3 tou1]
偷天换日	tōu tiān huàn rì	to engage in fraudulent activities (idiom); skulduggery; to hoodwink people; to cheat sb a…
偷汉子	tōu hàn zi	(of a married woman) to cheat on her husband; to have an affair
偷子	tōu zi	thief
偷人	tōu rén	(of a married woman) to cheat on her husband; to have an affair
偷生	tōu shēng	to live without purpose
小偷	xiǎo tōu	thief
偷安	tōu ān	to shirk responsibility; thoughtless pleasure-seeking
偷工	tōu gōng	to skimp on the job; to avoid work
偷眼	tōu yǎn	to take a furtive look at
神偷	shén tōu	master thief
偷工减料	tōu gōng jiǎn liào	to skimp on the job and stint on materials (idiom); jerry-building; sloppy work
偷空	tōu kòng	to take some time out; to make use of a spare moment
小偷小摸	xiǎo tōu xiǎo mō	to engage in petty theft
偷加	tōu jiā	to surreptitiously add (sth that shouldn't be there)
偷鸡不成蚀把米	tōu jī bù chéng shí bǎ mǐ	lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom); fig…
偷情	tōu qíng	to carry on a clandestine love affair
不偷不抢	bù tōu bù qiǎng	to be law-abiding (idiom)
偷运	tōu yùn	to smuggle
偷鸡不着蚀把米	tōu jī bù zháo shí bǎ mǐ	see 偷雞不成蝕把米\|偷鸡不成蚀把米[tou1 ji1 bu4 cheng2 shi2 ba3 mi3]

Characters sharing the sound component 俞 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
俞 sound part	yú	to consent, to approve; surname
输	shū	to carry, to haul, to transport
榆	yú	elm tree
喻	yù	metaphor, analogy; example; such as, like
愈	yù	to recover, to heal; more and more
谕	yù	to proclaim; to instruct; edict
瑜	yú	flawless gem or jewel
渝	yú	to change; Chongqing
逾	yú	to jump over; to exceed, to surpass
愉	yú	pleasant, delightful; to please
揄	yú	to lift, to raise; to praise; to hang, to flap
蝓	yú	snail
嵛	yú	a county in the Shandong province
腧	shù	acupoint
觎	yú	to covet, to desire, to long for
毹	shū	blanket, rug
窬	yú	door, window; a hole in a wall