賊

Although 賊 appears visually to combine 貝 (valuables) and 戎 (weapons or barbarians), this is not its original formation.

Historically, 賊 is composed of:

戈 — spear; weapon (semantic element)

則 — “rule; norm” (phonetic element)

Thus, 賊 is a phono-semantic compound, not a semantic compound.

In bronze inscriptions (金文) and small seal script (小篆), the phonetic element 則 is clearly identifiable. Over time the 刀 component of 則 was absorbed into the 戈 shape.

The resulting form visually resembled 十, producing the modern structure.

Importantly:

貝 is not etymologically involved

戎 is not the original component

The association with valuables and plunder is secondary and interpretive, not structural.

The earliest meaning of 賊 was "armed enemy; violent aggressor".

From this, the word expanded to mean:

- armed bandits

- rebels against legitimate authority

- later, thieves in general

Thus, 賊 historically carried political and military weight, not just criminal meaning.

도적 (盜賊) — thief; bandit

국적 (國賊) — traitor to the nation

해적 (海賊) — pirate

왜적 (倭賊) — Japanese raiders (historical term)

Related characters:

盜 — thief; to steal (emphasizes theft)

寇 — invader; raider

奸 — treacherous; villainous (moral corruption)

逆 — rebel

匪 — bandit; outlaw

Classical usage:

In early texts, 賊 often refers to rebels or traitors, rather than common thieves:

「 內賊不除，外患必至」

“If internal traitors are not eliminated, external calamities will surely arrive.”

Here, 賊 means internal enemies of the state.

Military and political writings:

賊兵 — rebel troops

國賊 — traitor to the state

盜賊 — bandits and robbers (pairing with 盜 emphasizes criminality)

In Buddhist literature, 賊 is frequently metaphorical:

煩惱賊 — the “thieves of affliction” (mental defilements)

六賊 — the six sensory “thieves” (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind)

These “steal” wisdom and enlightenment from the practitioner.