窃钩者诛，窃国者侯
Traditional form:
竊鉤者誅，竊國者侯
Pinyin (reading):
qiègōuzhězhū,qièguózhěhóu
Definitions:
- steal a hook and they hang you, steal the whole country and they make you a prince (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ))
Characters:
- 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
- 窃 - to steal; thief; secret, stealthy
- 国 - country, nation, state; national
- 者 - that which; they who; those who
- 侯 - marquis, lord; target in archery
Traditional characters: