贼喊捉贼 in English zei2 han3 zhuo1 zei2 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) a thief crying "Stop the thief!" (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to accuse somebody of a theft and try to sneak away oneself
  • to cover up one's misdeeds by shifting the blame onto others

Simplified Characters

贼 喊 捉 贼

Traditional Characters

賊 喊 捉 賊

Pinyin

zei2 han3 zhuo1 zei2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

贼zei2thief 喊han3to yell 捉zhuo1to clutch 贼zei2thief