verb HSK 6
piāo
to plagiarize · to rob · to plunder · nimble

Meaning

is a literary character primarily used in compound words. Its most common modern usage is in 窃 (piāoqiè), meaning to plagiarize or steal someone's work or ideas. Historically, it also referred to robbing or plundering, and as an adjective it could describe something nimble or swift.

Usage

rarely appears alone in modern Mandarin and is almost exclusively used in the compound 窃 in academic or formal contexts when discussing intellectual theft or plagiarism. It is a formal, written term rather than casual spoken vocabulary.

Examples

  1. 01
    这篇论文被发现窃了他人的研究成果。
    Zhè piān lùnwén bèi fāxiàn piāoqiè le tārén de yánjiū chéngguǒ.
    This thesis was found to have plagiarized others' research results.
  2. 02
    学术界对窃问题非常重视。
    Xuéshùjiè duì piāoqiè wèntí fēicháng zhòngshì.
    The academic community takes the issue of plagiarism very seriously.

Common collocations

  • 窃行为
    piāoqiè xíngwéi
    plagiarism behavior
  • 窃他人成果
    piāoqiè tārén chéngguǒ
    to plagiarize others' achievements

Antonyms

Origin

The character contains the knife radical 刂on the right, suggesting cutting or violence, combined with 票 (piào) which provides the phonetic component. This reflects its original meanings related to robbery and seizing things.

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