📖 Meaning
To engage in shady or improper activities on the sly, especially petty theft or sneaky misconduct. The "east...west..." structure conveys doing such things here and there, habitually and furtively. It describes someone who skulks around engaging in dishonest or disreputable behavior.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Chapter 30 of the Qing Dynasty novel "Nie Hai Hua" (孽海花) by Zeng Pu (曾朴), a late Qing writer known for his satirical exposure of social corruption. In the original passage, a character is described as being "still like a greedy cat, sneaking and pilfering here and there" (她还是馋猫儿似的东偷西摸). The cat metaphor vividly captures the furtive, opportunistic nature of the behavior, and the phrase entered common usage to describe anyone habitually engaged in underhanded activities.
💡 Example Usage
他整天东偷西摸，迟早会被警察抓住。
He sneaks around doing shady things all day; sooner or later the police will catch him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 东偷西摸
- Pinyin: dōng tōu xī mō
- Literal Translation: east, steal, west, touch
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4