How to Write 贼 (zéi) — Meaning “Thief; traitor”

Imagine a thief (贼) stealing a shell (贝) while dressed in armor (戎). The right side 戎 looks like a person holding a weapon, which helps you recall that a thief uses force to take your treasures.

The left part 贝 should be written slightly narrower, with the third stroke as a vertical left-falling stroke (撇). The right part 戎 has seven strokes; a common mistake is to write the first two strokes (横 and 撇) too close together, making it look like 戈. Keep the bottom 十 balanced.

While 责 means 'responsibility' and 贤 means 'virtuous', 贼 means 'thief' or 'traitor'. Visually, 责 has the top part (a horizontal line above a vertical stroke) while 贼 has 戎 on the right. 贤 has a different right component (又 'hand' plus 贝), so remember: 贼 is the only one with a weapon on the right.

贼 is commonly used to mean 'thief', as in 小偷 (xiǎo tōu) but 贼 can also imply a traitor, like 国贼 (guó zéi, traitor to the nation). It appears in the word 乌贼 (wū zéi, cuttlefish), literally 'black thief', because cuttlefish squirt ink to escape, like a thief fleeing. Be aware that 贼 can carry strong negative connotations.

Common words containing 贼 include: 贼 (zéi) — Thief; traitor; 贼心 (zéi xīn) — Evil intent; wicked heart; 乌贼 (wū zéi) — cuttlefish.