📖 Meaning
Describes petty theft and minor pilfering, comparing thieves to scurrying rats and sneaking dogs. It characterizes small-scale, furtive criminal behavior rather than major crimes. The phrase conveys contempt for such lowly, cowardly wrongdoing.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the older expression 鼠窃狗盗 (rat stealing, dog thieving), which appears in classical Chinese historical texts to describe petty thieves who scurry about like rodents and stray dogs. The phrase was used in records such as the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) to belittle minor bandits and rebels. Over time, the character order was reversed to form this variant, but both forms carry the same connotation of low-level, sneaky theft.
💡 Example Usage
这些鼠盗狗窃之徒，终难成大事。
Such petty thieves will never accomplish anything great.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鼠盗狗窃
- Pinyin: shǔ dào gǒu qiè
- Literal Translation: rat, steal, dog, pilfer
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4