- 海贼 hǎizéi pirateA person who commits robbery or criminal violence at sea
- 盗贼 dàozéi robberrobber; bandit; thief; a person who steals or plunders property
- 窃贼 qièzéi thiefthief; burglar; a person who steals someone else's property
- 乌贼 wūzéi cuttlefishA sea creature with a flattened body, ten arms with suckers, and an internal ink sac used for defense; also called [[墨鱼|墨魚|mo4 yu2]].
- 贼人 zéirén thiefthief; robber; a person who steals, robs, or does bad things
- 卖国贼 màiguózéi traitortraitor to one's country; a person who betrays national sovereignty and interests for personal gain
- 飞贼 fēizéi cat burglara burglar who is agile and able to scale walls or rooftops to enter buildings
- 工贼 gōngzéi scab(derogatory) a strikebreaker; a person who betrays the interests of fellow workers or undermines a labor strike
- 马贼 mǎzéi mounted bandits(old) brigands or bandits who travel and rob on horseback, often in groups
- 贼船 zéichuán pirate shipa boat used by thieves or pirates to rob and kill
- 做贼心虚 zuòzéixīnxū to have a guilty conscience(idiom) To feel nervous or afraid of being caught after doing something wrong; to have something on one's conscience.
- 贼心 zéixīn evil intentionsevil intentions; a wicked heart; the desire or thought to do something bad
- 贼窝 zéiwō thieves' hideoutthieves' hideout; thieves' lair
- 逆贼 nìzéi rebelA rebellious person, traitor, or bandit; used as a term of contempt for a renegade.
- 国贼 guózéi traitortraitor to one's country; a person who betrays or causes great harm to the nation
- 贼喊捉贼 zéihǎnzhuōzéi a thief crying "Stop thief!"Used to describe a person who committed a crime or misdeed but shifts the blame onto others to cover their own tracks and escape responsibility. escape responsibility.
- 蟊贼 máozéi agricultural pestInsects that eat the roots or seedlings of cereal crops; plant pests
- 奸贼 jiānzéi traitorA traitor or treacherous person; a conspirator, especially a corrupt official who betrays their country.
- 贼赃 zéizāng stolen goodsloot or goods obtained through theft or robbery; booty; spoils
- 家贼 jiāzéi thief within a familyA family member who steals from their own household
- 流贼 liúzéi roving banditsroving or wandering bandits who operate without a fixed base
- 乱臣贼子 luànchénzéizǐ rebels and traitorsrebels and traitors; a general term for scoundrels or anyone who betrays their country and family; originally referred to disloyal officials and unfilial children
- 贼亮 zéiliàng very brightvery bright; shiny; dazzling or glaring
- 贼眼 zéiyǎn shifty eyesshifty gaze or furtive glance; a look that suggests craftiness or dishonesty
- 贼头贼脑 zéitóuzéinǎo furtivebehaving in a stealthy or suspicious manner; acting like a thief
- 贼眉鼠眼 zéiméishǔyǎn shifty-eyedshifty-eyed and crafty-looking; used to describe someone with a sneaky or suspicious appearance
- 认贼作父 rènzéizuòfù to treat an enemy as a friendliterally "to acknowledge a bandit as one's father"; to sell oneself to the enemy or give allegiance to an invader
- 木贼 mùzéi scouring rushan evergreen plant with green hollow stems and tiny scaly leaves used in traditional medicine or as an abrasive for wood and bone [[木贼|木賊|mu4 zei2]]
- 叛贼 pànzéi traitortraitor; renegade; a person who betrays their country, family, or cause; often used as an insult
- 枪乌贼 qiāngwūzéi squidsquid; the scientific name for [[鱿鱼|魷魚|you2 yu2]], a cephalopod with a spear-shaped body and ten limbs
- 贼巢 zéicháo thieves' dena hideout, den, or lair for thieves or bandits
- 擒贼擒王 qínzéiqínwáng to catch the leaderTo defeat the enemy by capturing their leader; to strike at the root of a problem or focus on the key part of a task
- 贼风 zéifēng draftA draft of cold air entering through a gap, such as between a door and its frame, which is traditionally thought to cause illness.
- 独夫民贼 dúfūmínzéi traitorous dictatora cruel and oppressive ruler who has been abandoned by the people; a tyrant and enemy of the people
- 家贼难防 jiāzéinánfáng hard to guard against an inside thiefit is difficult to protect oneself against an enemy or thief from within one's own circle; refers to a traitor or internal threat who is hard to detect
- 贼性 zéixìng wicked naturea cunning, crafty, or evil personality; vicious or wicked disposition
- 残贼 cánzéi to injureto injure, spoil, or cause severe damage to; to oppress or persecute
- 民贼 mínzéi traitor to the people(literary) an enemy or traitor to the people; a person who harms the country and commits crimes against the citizens; often used in the phrase [[独夫民贼|獨夫民賊|du2 fu1 min2 zei2]]
- 盗贼蜂起 dàozéifēngqǐ bandits and rebels swarm the landDescribing a situation where social order has collapsed and bandits or insurgents arise in large numbers; literally, bandits rising up like a swarm of bees.
- 贼害 zéihài to harmto cause harm or injury; to persecute or murder someone
- 贼眉贼眼 zéiméizéiyǎn shifty-eyedshifty-eyed or crafty-looking
- 阴贼 yīnzéi sinister and cruel(literary) describes someone who is devious, sinister, and ruthless; treacherous and malicious
- 盗贼四起 dàozéisìqǐ robbers arise from all quartersrobbers and bandits spring up everywhere; often used to describe social unrest or a breakdown of law and order
- 汉贼不两立 hànzéibùliǎnglì irreconcilable enemiesliterally meaning that Shu [[汉|漢|han4]] and the traitor [[魏|魏|wei4]] cannot both exist; used as an idiom to describe two enemies who cannot coexist under the same sky
- 草贼 cǎozéi banditsbandits; robbers; outlaw groups
- 贼星 zéixīng meteoran informal or old term for a meteor; a shooting star
- 惯贼 guànzéi habitual thiefA person who repeatedly commits theft; also written as [[惯窃|慣竊|guan4 qie4]], [[惯盗|慣盜|guan4 dao4]], or [[惯偷|慣偷|guan4 tou1]]
- 贼窝子 zéiwōzi thieves' hideoutA den or nest for thieves and criminals
- 贼话 zéihuà underworld slangmalicious or secret talk often associated with criminal argot or sneaky communication
Sources
- Frequency data
- MTSU Chinese text computingSUBTLEX-CH