偷渡

tōudù

verb #13,328

Meanings

1 to illegally immigrate
2 to stow away (on a ship)
3 to steal across the border
4 to run a blockade

Characters

to steal; secretly

to cross (water/border)

Examples

每年都有人试图偷渡到其他国家。

Měinián dōu yǒurén shìtú tōudù dào qítā guójiā.

Every year people try to illegally cross into other countries.

偷渡客被边防警察抓住了。

Tōudù kè bèi biānfáng jǐngchá zhuāzhù le.

The illegal immigrants were caught by the border police.

Tips

memory

偷 (to steal) + 渡 (to cross water/border) = to 'steal a crossing,' i.e. to cross a border illegally.

Stroke Order

偷 tōu

渡 dù