盜亦有道

Chinese

		steal; rob; plunder steal; rob; plunder; a thief; bandit; robber	also	to have; there is; there are to have; there is; there are; to exist; to be	direction; way; method direction; way; method; road; path; principle; truth; reason; skill; Tao (of Taoism); a measure word; to say; to speak; to talk
trad. (盜亦有道)		盜	亦	有	道
simp. (盗亦有道)		盗	亦	有	道

Etymology

From Zhuangzi, chapter 10 (《莊子·胠篋》).

故跖之徒問於跖曰：「盜亦有道乎？」跖曰：「何適而无有道邪？夫妄意室中之藏，聖也；入先，勇也；出後，義也；知可否，知也；分均，仁也。五者不備而能成大盜者，天下未之有也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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故跖之徒问于跖曰：「盗亦有道乎？」跖曰：「何适而无有道邪？夫妄意室中之藏，圣也；入先，勇也；出后，义也；知可否，知也；分均，仁也。五者不备而能成大盗者，天下未之有也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE, translation from The Complete Works Of Chuang Tzu (2013), by Burton Watson

Gù Zhí zhī tú wèn yú Zhí yuē: “Dào yì yǒu dào hū?” Zhí yuē: “Hé shì ér wú yǒu dào yé? Fú wàng yì shì zhōng zhī cáng, shèng yě; rù xiān, yǒng yě; chū hòu, yì yě; zhī kěfǒu, zhì yě; fēn jūn, rén yě. Wǔ zhě bú bèi ér néng chéng dàdào zhě, tiānxià wèi zhī yǒu yě.” [Pinyin]

One of Robber Zhi’s followers once asked Zhi, "Does the thief, too, have a Way?" Zhi replied, "How could he get anywhere if he didn't have a Way? Making shrewd guesses as to how much booty is stashed away in the room is sageliness; being the first one in is bravery; being the last one out is righteousness; knowing whether or not the job can be pulled off is wisdom; dividing up the loot fairly is benevolence. No one in the world ever succeeded in becoming a great thief if he didn't have all five!"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): dàoyìyǒudào

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄠˋ ㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄉㄠˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): dou⁶ jik⁶ jau⁵ dou⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: dàoyìyǒudào
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄠˋ ㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄉㄠˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: dàoyìyǒudào
    • Wade–Giles: tao⁴-i⁴-yu³-tao⁴
    • Yale: dàu-yì-yǒu-dàu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dawyihyeoudaw
    • Palladius: даоиюдао (daoijudao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɑʊ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: dou⁶ jik⁶ jau⁵ dou⁶
    • Yale: douh yihk yáuh douh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dou⁶ jik⁹ jau⁵ dou⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: dou⁶ yig⁶ yeo⁵ dou⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tou̯²² jɪk̚² jɐu̯¹³ tou̯²²/

Idiom

盜亦有道

1. even robbers and thieves have moral principles

See also

• (Hokkien) 人有人情理，賊有賊情理／人有人情理，贼有贼情理