Meaning of 偷偷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- stealthily
- secretly
- covertly
- furtively
- on the sly
How to use 偷偷
偷偷 goes before a verb to show an action is done secretly, often with 地 (de) in between. It is common in everyday speech and stories. Example: 他偷偷地看了她一眼。(Tā tōutōu de kàn le tā yī yǎn.) He secretly glanced at her.
偷 (tōu) means to steal, and it has the person radical 亻 on the left. Doubling it to 偷偷 turns the idea of a thief into a manner: doing something the way a thief would, quietly and secretly.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 偷偷 alone to mean "to steal." It only means "secretly," so you need a verb after it, as in 偷偷拿 (tōutōu ná) "to take secretly." Also keep both syllables in first tone. The second 偷 does not go neutral.
偷偷 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
偷 tōu · to steal · 11 strokes
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偷 tōu · to steal · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 偷偷.
| 小偷儿 | xiǎotōur | erhua form of 小偷[xiao3 tou1] |
| 偷看 | tōukàn | to peep; to peek |
| 偷窥 | tōukuī | to peep; to peek |
| 偷懒 | tōulǎn | to be lazy when effort is expected; to slack off |
| 小偷 | xiǎotōu | thief |
| 偷窃 | tōuqiè | to steal; to pilfer |
| 偷听 | tōutīng | to eavesdrop; to monitor (secretly) |
| 偷袭 | tōuxí | to mount a sneak attack; to raid |
| 偷偷摸摸 | tōutōumōmō | (idiom) surreptitious; sneaky |
| 偷情 | tōuqíng | to carry on a clandestine love affair |
| 偷渡 | tōudù | illegal immigration; to stowaway (on a ship) |
| 偷吃 | tōuchī | to sneak food; to eat sth on the sly; (coll.) to cheat on one's partner |
Questions about 偷偷
What does 偷偷 mean?
偷偷 (tōutōu) means "stealthily; secretly" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 偷偷?
偷偷 is made of 2 characters: 偷 (11 strokes), 偷 (11 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.
Is 偷偷 an HSK word?
Yes. 偷偷 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 偷偷 and 秘密?
偷偷 is an adverb describing a sneaky way of doing something, like 偷偷走了 (left quietly). 秘密 (mìmì) is mainly a noun or adjective meaning "secret," as in 一个秘密 (a secret). For "secretly do something" in casual speech, 偷偷 is the natural choice.
Does 偷偷 always sound negative?
No. Although 偷 means to steal, 偷偷 often describes harmless or even sweet actions. 偷偷喜欢一个人 (tōutōu xǐhuan yī gè rén) means "to secretly have a crush on someone."