窃听 (qiètīng): to eavesdrop; to wiretap

Meanings

Literally 'to steal-listen' — to listen secretly without the speaker's knowledge or consent.

Tāmen zài fángjiān lǐ ānzhuāngle qiètīngqì.

They installed a listening device in the room.

Qiètīng tārén diànhuà shì wéifǎ de.

Wiretapping someone's phone is illegal.

Tā huáiyí zìjǐ bèi qiètīng le.

She suspects she's being eavesdropped on.

usage

窃听器 (qiètīngqì) is a 'bug' or listening device. 窃听 can refer to both low-tech eavesdropping and high-tech electronic surveillance.

窃 qiè

听 tīng