DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

竊竊私語

简窃窃私语 · 繁竊竊私語

Mandarin · pinyin qiè qiè sī yǔ

(idiom) to whisper; to speak in whispers

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

竊: Look up this written character
私: sī · private, personal; secret
語: Look up this written character
窃: qiè · secretly, stealthily; steal; thief
语: yǔ · language, words; saying, expression

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–1–3 · qie4 qie4 si1 yu3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links1same-tone record

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

竊竊私語 · find source passages ↗ · 窃窃私语 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sit3 sit3 si1 jyu5

Cantonese word readings for 竊竊私語. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to talk in whispers

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack