贼
zéi · HSK 7
thief
🥷 贼 = 贝 money + 戎 weapon: one who takes your money by force, a thief
Also colloquial in northern Mandarin as wily or extremely, as in 贼好 meaning awfully good. Sound zéi rhymes with way, the way a thief slips away.
贼 — 贝 shell/money + 戎 weapon
Originally written with 貝 (shell, money) and 戎 (weapon), 賊 depicted someone using a weapon to harm or steal valuables. The early sense was 'to harm' or 'do violence to,' and it later narrowed to 'thief' or 'bandit.' The simplified form 贼 keeps the same two components.