thieves who hide by day; villains; petty criminals
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
originally thieves who hide by day and emerge at night; (now broadly) villains, petty criminals, despicable persons
archaicOriginally a literary term referring specifically to thieves operating under cover of darkness. In modern usage, it broadly refers to any contemptible or villainous person, often used in formal or written contexts.
Zhè这
zhǒng种
xiāo宵
xiǎo小
xíng行
jìng径
lìng令
rén人
bù不
chǐ齿
。
Such despicable villainous conduct is contemptible.
Shè社
qū区
jiā加
qiáng强
le了
xún巡
luó逻
，
yǐ以
fáng防
xiāo宵
xiǎo小
chèn趁
jī机
zuò作
àn案
。
The community has strengthened patrols to prevent petty criminals from taking advantage of the situation to commit crimes.
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Yī一
qún群
xiāo宵
xiǎo小
zài在
àn暗
chù处
chǔn蠢
chǔn蠢
yù欲
dòng动
。
A gang of villains is stirring restlessly in the dark.
Cǐ此
děng等
xiāo宵
xiǎo小
，
bù不
zú足
wéi为
lǜ虑
。
Such despicable characters are not worth worrying about.