Meaning of 顺手牵羊
顺手牵羊 means to pilfer; to pocket something that doesn't belong to one; to take advantage of a situation to steal. Pronounced shùn shǒu qiān yáng.
- to pilfer; to pocket something that doesn't belong to one; to take advantage of a situation to steal
Definitions & Examples
Tā他
lù路
guò过
shāng商
diàn店
shí时
shùn顺
shǒu手
qiān牵
yáng羊
ná拿
zǒu走
le了
yī一
píng瓶
shuǐ水
。
He pocketed a bottle of water when passing by the store.
Chāo超
shì市
lǐ里
de的
shè摄
xiàng像
tóu头
shì是
wèi为
le了
fáng防
zhǐ止
gù顾
kè客
shùn顺
shǒu手
qiān牵
yáng羊
。
The cameras in the supermarket are there to prevent customers from pilfering.
Zhè这
bù不
shì是
tōu偷
，
zhǐ只
shì是
shùn顺
shǒu手
qiān牵
yáng羊
ér而
yǐ已
。
It's not stealing, just taking advantage of the situation.
Sān三
shí十
liù六
jì计
zhōng中
de的
shùn顺
shǒu手
qiān牵
yáng羊
shì是
zhǐ指
chèn趁
dí敌
fāng方
xū虚
ruò弱
shí时
duó夺
qǔ取
lì利
yì益
。
In the Thirty-Six Stratagems, 'hitching a ride on the sheep' refers to seizing benefits when the enemy is weak.