liángshàngjūnzǐ

梁上君子

Word · Noun

thief; burglar (literary euphemism)

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

1 sense · 3 examples
1.

noun

thief; burglar; lit. "gentleman on the roof beam"

literary

Originates from a Han Dynasty story recorded in the 《后汉书·陈寔传》. Chen Shi (陈寔) discovered a thief hiding on his roof beam and addressed him ironically as a "gentleman" (君子). Now used as a euphemistic or ironic term for a thief or burglar.

Zuó昨
wǎn晚
jiā家
zhōng中
jìn进
le了
liáng梁
shàng上
jūn君
zǐ子
 ，
diū丢
shī失
le了
bù不
shǎo少
cái财
wù物
 。

Last night a burglar broke into the house and a lot of property was stolen.

Tā他
zì自
xǔ诩
wéi为
liáng梁
shàng上
jūn君
zǐ子
 ，
shí实
zé则
bù不
guò过
shì是
gè个
guàn惯
tōu偷
 。

He styles himself a "gentleman of the beam," but in reality he is nothing more than a habitual thief.

Show 1 more example
Fáng防
fàn范
liáng梁
shàng上
jūn君
zǐ子
 ，
chū出
mén门
qiē切
jì记
suǒ锁
hǎo好
mén门
chuāng窗
 。

To guard against burglars, always remember to lock doors and windows when going out.