窃国者侯，窃钩者诛

Traditional form:

竊國者侯，竊鉤者誅

Pinyin (reading):

qièguózhěhóu,qiègōuzhězhū

Definitions:

• steal the whole country and they make you a prince, steal a hook and they hang you (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ))

Characters:

• 窃 - to steal; thief; secret, stealthy
• 国 - country, nation, state; national
• 者 - that which; they who; those who
• 侯 - marquis, lord; target in archery
• 窃 - to steal; thief; secret, stealthy
• 钩 - hook, barb, sickle; to hook, to link
• 者 - that which; they who; those who
• 诛 - to execute, to kill; to punish

Traditional characters:

• 竊 - to steal; thief; secret, stealthy
• 國 - country, nation, state; national
• 者 - that which; they who; those who
• 侯 - marquis, lord; target in archery
• 竊 - to steal; thief; secret, stealthy
• 鉤 - hook, barb, sickle; to hook, to link
• 者 - that which; they who; those who
• 誅 - to execute, to kill; to punish