A Detailed Comparison: 小偷、強盜、流氓

These three words have very different meanings. Let's learn how to distinguish between 小偷、強盜、流氓

小偷 Thief

• 偷 = 偷竊 means steal, which means to take something without the owner's permission or knowledge, with the intention of keeping it. So, 小偷 is the general term for someone who steals.
• 竊賊 (Burglar) refers specifically to a thief who illegally enters a building, such as a home, store, or hotel room, to steal.
• "扒手" (pickpocket) is a thief who steals wallets or other items from people's pockets or bags, usually in crowded areas.
• 慣竊(habitual thief) is someone who steals repeatedly and consistently fails to correct their behavior. 

• 例句：
• 有謠言說，求救最好的方式是說「失火了」，而不是叫喊「有小偷」。
  It is rumored that the best way to call for help is to shout, "Fire!" instead of yelling, "Thief!"

• 竊賊半夜闖店，只為偷這！亞裔店主痛失10萬元珍藏。
  A burglar broke into the store late at night just to steal this! The Asian store owner is devastated after losing a $100,000 collection.

• 我今天會遲到是因為公車上有扒手，司機直接把車開到警察局，是真的！
  I’m late because there was a pickpocket on the bus, and the driver drove straight to the police station. It’s true!

• 法官表示，該被告為慣竊，屢犯不改，決定判處最重的刑罰。
  The judge declared that the defendant was a habitual thief who showed no remorse for his repeated crimes, and therefore decided to impose the maximum sentence.
  
• 屢犯不改 means someone persistently engages in criminal behavior and shows no signs of repentance.
  

強盜 Robber

• This term refers to people who use violence or threats to take someone else's property. In formal or literary contexts, they are often referred to as "盜匪."

• 例句：
• 強盗持刀威脅店員打開收銀機。
  
  The robber threatened the clerk with a knife and demanded that he open the cash register.

• 天災連年，盜匪橫行。
  The continuous natural disasters caused poverty, making bandits rampant across the land.

流氓 Hooligan  

• Originally, this term referred to vagrants, but it later came to denote unlawful elements who shirk honest work, engage in street violence, and disrupt social order.
  
  The phrase "耍流氓" generally means one of two things:
  
• To act unreasonably or aggressively.
• To behave like a thug or bully.
  
  
•  "對女性耍流氓" (to act like a hooligan toward women) refers to engaging in flirtatious or inappropriate sexual behavior, including verbal or physical assault or harassment.

• 例句：
• 他們僱用了一群小流氓去威脅那些拒絕賣地的小鎮居民。
  They hired thugs to intimidate the townspeople who refused to sell their land.
  

Thanks for reading! If you want to hear the correct pronunciation and intonation, don't forget to watch the video at the beginning of this post. See you next time!