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

海警在船舱里发现了三名偷渡者。

Hǎijǐng zài chuáncāng lǐ fāxiàn le sān míng tōudùzhě.

The coast guard found three stowaways in the cargo hold.

许多偷渡者冒着生命危险跨越边境。

Xǔduō tōudùzhě màozhe 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