盗 dào — steal; rob; plunder; a thief; bandit; robber
警察抓住了那个盗窃的小偷。Jǐng chá zhuā zhù le nà ge dào qiè de xiǎo tōu.The police caught the thief who was stealing.
Common words: 盗窃 (dào qiè)、强盗 (qiáng dào)、盗版 (dào bǎn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "plunder"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "plunder", including 盗 (dào), 劫 (jié), 掠 (luè / luě). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "plunder" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 盗 (dào), 劫 (jié), 掠 (luè / luě) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dào, jié, luè, luě — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 盗 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 盗 dàosteal; rob; plunder; a thief; bandit; robberUseful words: 盗窃, 强盗
- 劫 jiéplunderUseful words: 抢劫, 劫持
- 掠 luè / luěplunderUseful words: 掠夺, 掠过
Common words for these 3 "plunder" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 盗 (dào) — so "plunder" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
盗窃dào qièto steal强盗qiáng dàoto rob (with force); bandit; robber盗版dào bǎnpirated; illegal; see also 正版抢劫qiǎng jiéto rob; looting劫持jié chíto kidnap; to hijack; to abduct; to hold under duress浩劫hào jiécalamity; catastrophe; apocalypse掠夺lüè duóto plunder; to rob掠过lüè guòto flit across; to sweep past; to glance (strike at an angle)掠美lüè měito claim credit due to others
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "plunder".
劫 jié — plunder
在故事里，强盗想要打劫过路的客人。Zài gù shi lǐ, qiáng dào xiǎng yào dǎ jié guò lù de kè rén.In the story, the bandits wanted to rob the passing travelers.
Common words: 抢劫 (qiǎng jié)、劫持 (jié chí)、浩劫 (hào jié)
掠 luè / luě — plunder
一只燕子从水面上掠过。Yì zhī yàn zi cóng shuǐ miàn shàng lüè guò.A swallow swept past over the water.
Common words: 掠夺 (lüè duó)、掠过 (lüè guò)、掠美 (lüè měi)
All 3 characters
Open 盗、劫、掠 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.