Meaning of 走私
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to smuggle
- to have an illicit affair
How to use 走私
走私 is mainly used for smuggling goods across borders, often in news and legal contexts, and it can take an object or appear in compounds like 走私犯 (smuggler). The sense of an illicit affair exists but is rare today. Example: 他因为走私香烟被抓了。(Tā yīnwèi zǒusī xiāngyān bèi zhuā le.) He was arrested for smuggling cigarettes.
走 (zǒu) means to go or walk, and 私 (sī) means private or secret, as in 私人 (sīrén). Goods that go by a private, secret route instead of through customs are being smuggled.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 私 with the wrong tone. It is first tone sī, not sǐ like 死 (sǐ, to die). Also, do not use 走私 for sneaking a person into an event. It is about illegal trade, not just doing something secretly.
走私 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.
走 zǒu · to walk · 7 strokes
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私 sī · personal · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 走私.
| 走路 | zǒulù | to walk; to go on foot; to leave; to depart |
| 走开 | zǒukāi | to leave; to walk away; to beat it; to move aside |
| 走进 | zǒujìn | to enter; to step into |
| 走过 | zǒuguò | to walk past; to pass by |
| 私人 | sīrén | private; personal |
| 逃走 | táozǒu | to escape; to flee |
| 拿走 | názǒu | to take away |
| 隐私 | yǐnsī | secrets; private business |
| 走廊 | zǒuláng | corridor; aisle; hallway; passageway; veranda |
| 自私 | zìsī | selfish; selfishness |
| 私下 | sīxià | in private |
| 行走 | xíngzǒu | to walk |
Questions about 走私
What does 走私 mean?
走私 (zǒusī) means "to smuggle; to have an illicit affair".
How do you write 走私?
走私 is made of 2 characters: 走 (7 strokes), 私 (7 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 走私 an HSK word?
Yes. 走私 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say smuggler in Chinese?
The common word is 走私犯 (zǒusīfàn), literally a smuggling criminal. In news you may also see 走私分子 (zǒusī fènzǐ).
Is 走私 the same as 偷运?
Both involve moving things secretly. 偷运 (tōuyùn) focuses on the act of sneaking something in or out, while 走私 is the standard legal term for evading customs and trade laws.