手脚不干净

手腳不乾淨
shǒujiǎobùgānjìng
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 thieving
  2. 2 light-fingered
  3. 3 prone to stealing
  4. 4 having sticky fingers

Examples

HSK 5
Línjū shuō nàge nánhái shǒujiǎobùgānjìng, cháng tōu dōngxī.
The neighbors say that boy is light-fingered and often steals things.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī bùhuì gùyòng shǒujiǎobùgānjìng de yuángōng.
The company won't hire employees who have sticky fingers.

Tips

memory
Literally 'hands and feet not clean' - a polite, indirect way to say someone steals. Compare English 'sticky fingers'. The euphemism softens the accusation: rather than 'thief', you say their hands aren't quite clean.

Stroke Order

shǒu
jiǎo
gān
jìng