蟊賊

Chinese

	Spanish fly; grain-eating grub	thief
trad. (蟊賊)	蟊	賊
simp. (蟊贼)	蟊	贼
alternative forms	蝥賊／蝥贼蛑賊／蛑贼

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): máozéi, máozé

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄠˊ ㄗㄟˊ, ㄇㄠˊ ㄗㄜˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): maau⁴ caak⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: máozéi
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄠˊ ㄗㄟˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: máozéi
  - Wade–Giles: mao²-tsei²
  - Yale: máu-dzéi
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mautzeir
  - Palladius: маоцзэй (maoczɛj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɑʊ̯³⁵ t͡seɪ̯³⁵/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    毛賊／毛贼
    蟊賊／蟊贼
- (Standard Chinese, literary variant)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: máozé
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄠˊ ㄗㄜˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: máozé
  - Wade–Giles: mao²-tsê²
  - Yale: máu-dzé
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mautzer
  - Palladius: маоцзэ (maoczɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɑʊ̯³⁵ t͡sɤ³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: maau⁴ caak⁶
  - Yale: màauh chaahk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: maau⁴ tsaak⁹
  - Guangdong Romanization: mao⁴ cag⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /maːu̯²¹ t͡sʰaːk̚²/

Middle Chinese: mjuw dzok

Rime
Character	蟊	賊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	尤 (136)	德 (131)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	莫浮切	昨則切
Baxter	mjuw	dzok
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mɨu/	/d͡zək̚/
Pan Wuyun	/miu/	/d͡zək̚/
Shao Rongfen	/miəu/	/d͡zək̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/muw/	/d͡zək̚/
Li Rong	/miu/	/d͡zək̚/
Wang Li	/mĭəu/	/d͡zək̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mi̯ə̯u/	/d͡zʱək̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	móu	zé
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mau⁴	zak⁶

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*mu zɯːɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	賊
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zéi
Middle Chinese	‹ dzok ›
Old Chinese	/*k.dzˁək/
English	injure; murderer, bandit
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	蟊	賊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	8815	16596
Phonetic component	矛	則
Rime group	幽	職
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	謀	賊
Old Chinese	/*mu/	/*zɯːɡ/

Noun

蟊賊

(Classical, literally) grain-eating insect
- 去其螟螣，及其蟊賊，無害我田穉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
  去其螟螣，及其蟊贼，无害我田穉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Qù qí míngtè, jí qí máozéi, wú hài wǒ tiántí. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
(figuratively) person harmful to the country and the people
- 天降罪罟，蟊賊內訌。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
  天降罪罟，蟊贼内讧。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Tiān jiàng zuìgǔ, máozéi nèihòng. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- 吾主漢朝皇叔，反不能占據州郡；其他皆漢之蟊賊，卻都恃強侵占地土：惟智者不平焉。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  吾主汉朝皇叔，反不能占据州郡；其他皆汉之蟊贼，却都恃强侵占地土：惟智者不平焉。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  From: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, circa 14^th century CE
  Wú zhǔ Hàncháo huángshū, fǎn bùnéng zhànjù zhōujùn; qítā jiē Hàn zhī máozéi, què dōu shìqiáng qīnzhàn dìtǔ: wéi zhìzhě bùpíng yān. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- 上天會不會嘉許我替世上剪除這一個戕害天性的蟊賊，不讓他繼續為非作惡？ [MSC, trad.]
  上天会不会嘉许我替世上剪除这一个戕害天性的蟊贼，不让他继续为非作恶？ [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1943, Zhu Shenghao, 《漢姆萊脫》 (translation of Hamlet)
  Shàngtiān huì bùhuì jiāxǔ wǒ tì shìshàng jiǎnchú zhè yīge qiānghài tiānxìng de máozéi, bù ràng tā jìxù wéifēizuò'è? [Pinyin]
  And is't not to be damn'd to let this canker of our nature come in further euill?