偷鸡摸狗

偷雞摸狗

tōujī-mōgǒu

idiom

Meanings

那帮小混混整天偷鸡摸狗。

Nà bāng xiǎohùnhun zhěngtiān tōujīmōgǒu.

That gang of hoodlums is always up to petty thievery.

他已经改过自新，不再偷鸡摸狗了。

Tā yǐjīng gǎiguòzìxīn, bùzài tōujīmōgǒu le.

He's turned over a new leaf and given up his shady ways.

别在背后偷鸡摸狗，正大光明地做事。

Bié zài bèihòu tōujīmōgǒu, zhèngdàguāngmíng de zuòshì.

Don't sneak around behind people's backs — do things openly and honorably.

usage

Covers both petty theft and sneaky misconduct including illicit affairs (hinted at in 《红楼梦》第四十四回 usage). Strongly negative, informal.

偷 tōu

鸡 jī

摸 mō

狗 gǒu