# 竊竊
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): qièqiè
    (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄝˋ ㄑㄧㄝˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): sit$^3$ sit$^3$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: qièqiè
*** Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄝˋ ㄑㄧㄝˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: cièciè
*** Wade–Giles: chʻieh$^4$-chʻieh$^4$
*** Yale: chyè-chyè
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chiehchieh
*** Palladius: цеце (cece)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: sit$^3$ sit$^3$
*** Yale: sit sit
*** Cantonese Pinyin: sit$^8$ sit$^8$
*** Guangdong Romanization: xid$^3$ xid$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /siːt̚³ siːt̚³/
* Middle Chinese: tshet tshet
Rime :
| Character | 竊 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 清 (14) |
| Final (韻) | 屑 (87) |
| Tone (調) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | IV |
| Fanqie | 千結切 |
| Baxter | tshet |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /t͡sʰet̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /t͡sʰet̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /t͡sʰɛt̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /t͡sʰɛt̚/ |
| Li Rong | /t͡sʰet̚/ |
| Wang Li | /t͡sʰiet̚/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /t͡sʰiet̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | qie |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | cit$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[tsʰ]ˤet [tsʰ]ˤet/
    (Zhengzhang): /*sʰleːd sʰleːd/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 竊 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | qiè |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ tshet › |
| Old Chinese | /*[tsʰ]ˁet/ |
| English | steal |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. ||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 竊 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 10472 |
| Phonetic component | 竊 |
| Rime group | 月 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | |
| Old Chinese | /*sʰleːd/ |

### Adjective

竊竊
* (literary, ideophonic, archaic) with careful discrimination; observing clearly
    From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
    Qiě yǒu dà jué ér hòu zhī cǐ qí dà mèng yě, ér yú zhě zì yǐ wéi jué, qièqiè rán zhī zhī. [Pinyin]
    And there is the great awaking, after which we shall know that this life was a great dream. All the while, the stupid think they are awake, and with nice discrimination insist on their knowledge.
    From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
    Shì qí yú biàn yě, jiāngwàng záo yuánqiáng ér zhí pénghāo yě. Jiǎn fà ér zhì, shǔ mǐ ér chuī, qièqiè hū yòu hé zú yǐ jìshì zāi! [Pinyin]
    Their sophistical reasonings (resembled) the reckless breaking down of walls and enclosures and planting the wild rubus and wormwood in their place; or making the hair thin before they combed it; or counting the grains of rice before they cooked them. They would do such things with careful discrimination; but what was there in them to benefit the world?
* (ideophonic) talking in a low voice; whispering; in whispers

#### Derived terms

* 竊竊偶語／窃窃偶语
* 竊竊私私／窃窃私私
* 竊竊私語／窃窃私语 (qièqièsīyǔ)
* 竊竊私議／窃窃私议
* 竊竊細語／窃窃细语
* 竊竊詡詡／窃窃诩诩

### Adverb

竊竊
* secretly; privately; covertly; behind one's back
    From: 2013, 田馥甄 (lyrics 施人誠), 《你就不要想起我》
    wǒ dōu jìmò duōjiǔ le háishì méi hǎo, gǎnjiào quánshìjiè dōu zài qièqiè cháoxiào [Pinyin]
    It's been so long but my loneliness still hasn't gone, It feels like the whole world is laughing at me in its sleeve;