偷渡者

tōudùzhě

noun #30,502

Measure Word

一名偷渡者 míng

Meanings

1 illegal border crosser
2 stowaway
3 smuggled migrant

Characters

to steal; stealthily

to cross (water)

Examples

HSK 7-9

海警在船舱里发现了三名偷渡者。

Hǎi jǐng zài chuáncāng lǐ fāxiàn le sān míng tōudùzhě.

The coast guard found three stowaways in the cargo hold.

HSK 7-9

许多偷渡者冒着生命危险跨越边境。

Xǔduō tōudùzhě mào zhe shēngmìng wēixiǎn kuàyuè biānjìng.

Many illegal border crossers risk their lives to cross the border.

Tips

usage

偷 "to do stealthily" + 渡 "to cross water" + 者 "-er." Originally referred to people sneaking across waterways (Hong Kong-mainland in the 1970s, Fujianese to the U.S. in the 1990s) - hence 渡 "cross water." Now a general term for anyone crossing a border illegally, by sea, land, or hidden in cargo containers.

Stroke Order

偷 tōu

渡 dù

者 zhě