偷鸡摸狗 petty theft
Explanation
指偷偷摸摸地做些鸡鸣狗盗的小偷小摸行为，也比喻做不正派、不光明磊落的事情。
Refers to secretly doing petty thefts, and also metaphorically refers to doing dishonest or shady things.
Origin Story
从前，在一个小山村里，住着两个年轻人，一个叫阿牛，一个叫阿狗。阿牛为人老实巴交，每天辛勤劳作，而阿狗却好吃懒做，经常偷鸡摸狗。一天，村里举办丰收节，家家户户都准备了丰盛的菜肴。阿狗眼红阿牛家的肥鸡，趁着夜色潜入阿牛家，偷走了那只肥鸡。阿牛第二天发现鸡被偷了，心里很生气，但他没有声张，而是默默地继续工作。后来，阿狗又多次偷鸡摸狗，被村民发现，受到了严厉的惩罚。而阿牛，因为他的诚实和勤劳，得到了村民的尊敬。这个故事告诉我们，偷鸡摸狗的行为是可耻的，只有诚实勤劳才能赢得尊重。
Once upon a time, in a small mountain village, there lived two young men, one named An Niu and the other named An Gou. An Niu was honest and hardworking, working diligently every day, while An Gou was lazy and often engaged in petty theft. One day, the village held a harvest festival, and every household prepared a sumptuous feast. An Gou envied An Niu's fat chicken and snuck into An Niu's house under the cover of night, stealing the fat chicken. An Niu discovered the theft the next day and was very angry, but he didn't make a fuss and silently continued working. Later, An Gou repeatedly engaged in petty theft and was caught by the villagers, receiving severe punishment. However, An Niu, because of his honesty and diligence, gained the respect of the villagers. This story tells us that petty theft is shameful, and only honesty and diligence can earn respect.
Usage
作谓语、定语；形容偷偷摸摸地做坏事。
Used as a predicate or attributive; describes doing bad things secretly.
Examples
-
他成天偷鸡摸狗，不务正业。
ta chengtian touji mogou, bu wu zhengye
He spends his days stealing and engaging in mischief.
-
那些偷鸡摸狗的行为，最终都会受到法律的制裁。
naxie touji mogou de xingwei, zui zhong dou hui shoudao falv de zhicai
Those acts of petty theft will eventually be punished by law.