Theft by the elderly is on the rise in Japan, reports China Youth Daily. While I usually classify news items as advanced reading, the words in this article are actually fairly easy – slightly complex sentence structure but not a whole lot of complex vocabulary, worth a shot for intermediate students.
中新网1月28日电据日本新闻网27日报道，日本警察厅发表消息说，越来越多的老人加入了小偷小摸的行列。在过去一年里，65岁以上老年人在超市和便利店等地方偷窃东西的人数比2009年增加了343人(增1.3%)，总数达到2万7362人，占到全体遭检举小偷总人数的26%，几乎与“小偷少年”(14-19岁)的总人数 (27%)相同。
据称，在这些被抓的“小偷老人”行窃的原因里，有71.8%的人是因为想要这些东西却不愿意花钱买。还有13.2%的人是因为口袋里实在没钱买东西。还有0.9%的老人只是觉得好玩，有一种游戏的感觉。按照男女比例来分，女性小偷是48.2%，男性小偷是51.8%，比例几乎相近。
报道说，这些老人偷窃的东西主要是食品。警察厅分析说，可能是这些老人对于自己今后的生活感到不安，怀着“节俭”的动机行窃。同时，调查也显示这些老人久居在家，没有社会的归属感，长期的孤独无助导致他们精神疲劳过度，而放松了对自制心。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中新网 | Zhōng xīn wǎng | ChinaNews (China News Service) |
| 月 | yuè | moon; month; monthly; CL:個|个[ge4],輪|轮[lun2] |
| 日 | rì | (bound form) sun; day; day of the month; (bound form) Japan (abbr. for 日本[Ri4 ben3]); (vulgar) to fuck; to have sex with |
| 电 | diàn | lightning; electricity; electric (bound form); to get (or give) an electric shock; phone call or telegram etc; to send via telephone or telegram etc |
| 据 | jǔ | according to; based on; evidence |
| 日本 | Rì běn | Japan |
| 新闻网 | xīn wén wǎng | news agency |
| 报 | bào | to report; to inform; to announce; to respond; to reply; to sign up for; to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bao4 ming2]); to reward; to recompense; to take revenge; to retaliate; new… |
| 道 | dào | road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle; (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization; (Daoism) the Way; the Dao; to say (introducing a direct quot… |
| 警 | jíng | to alert; police |
| 察 | Chá | short name for Chahar Province 察哈爾|察哈尔[Cha2 ha1 er3]; variant of 察[cha2] |
| 厅 | tīng | (reception) hall; living room; office; provincial government department |
| 发表 | fā biǎo | to issue; to publish |
| 消 | xiāo | to diminish; to subside; to consume; to reduce; to idle away (the time); (after 不[bu4] or 只[zhi3] or 何[he2] etc) to need; to require; to take |
| 息 | xī | breath; news; interest (on an investment or loan); to cease; to stop; to rest; Taiwan pr. [xi2] |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 越 | Yuè | generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods; abbr. for Vietnam 越南 |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 老人 | lǎo rén | old man or woman; the elderly; one's aged parents or grandparents |
| 加入 | jiā rù | to become a member; to join; to mix into; to participate in; to add in |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 偷 | tou | to steal; to snatch; stealthily |
| 摸 | mo | to feel with the hand; to stroke; to steal |
| 行 | háng | (bound form) row; line; (bound form) line of business; trade; profession; (bound form) commercial firm; (bound form) to rank (first, second etc) among one's siblings (by age); (in … |
| 列 | liè | to arrange; to line up; file; series; (in data tables) column; (Tw) row |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 过去 | guò qù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 岁 | suì | variant of 歲|岁[sui4], year; years old; classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests) |
| 以上 | yǐ shàng | that level or higher; that amount or more; the above-mentioned; (used to indicate that one has completed one's remarks) That is all. |
| 老年人 | lǎo nián rén | old people; the elderly |
| 超 | chao | to exceed; to surpass; to pass; ultra- |
| 市 | shì | market; city; municipality (administrative unit); (literary) to trade; to buy and sell goods |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 便 | biàn | plain; informal; suitable; convenient; opportune; to urinate or defecate; equivalent to 就[jiu4]: then; in that case; even if; soon afterwards |
| 利 | Lì | surname Li |
| 店 | diàn | inn; old-style hotel (CL:家[jia1]); (bound form) shop; store |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade; (bound form) equal to; same as; (used to end an enumeration); (literary) (… |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 窃 | qiè | to steal; secretly; (humble) I |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 人数 | rén shù | number of people |
| 比 | Bǐ | Belgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利時|比利时[Bi3 li4 shi2] |
| 增加 | zēng jiā | to raise; to increase |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 增 | zēng | (bound form) to increase; to augment; to add to |
| 总 | zǒng | (bound form) general; overall; to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later; surely; (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理|总经理[zong3… |
| 数 | shǔ | to count; to count as; to regard as; to enumerate; to list |
| 达到 | dá dào | to reach; to achieve; to attain |
| 万 | mò | used in 万俟[Mo4 qi2]; surname Wan |
| 占 | zhàn | variant of 占[zhan4]; to observe; to divine |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 全体 | quán tǐ | all; entire |
| 遭 | zāo | to suffer; to meet with (usu. misfortune); classifier for events: time, turn, incident |
| 检 | jiǎn | to check; to examine; to inspect; to exercise restraint |
| 举 | jǔ | variant of 舉|举[ju3]; to lift; to hold up; to cite; to enumerate; to act; to raise; to choose; to elect; act; move; deed |
| 几 | jī | small table; (literary) almost |
| 乎 | hu | (classical particle similar to 於|于[yu2]) in; from; than |
| 与 | yú | variant of 歟|欤[yu2] |
| 少年 | shào nián | early youth; youngster; (literary) youth; young man |
| 相同 | xiāng tóng | identical; same |
| 称 | chèn | to fit; to match; to suit; (coll.) to have; to possess; Taiwan pr. [cheng4] |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, … |
| 抓 | zhua | to grab; to arrest; to scratch |
| 行窃 | xíng qiè | to steal; to commit a robbery |
| 原因 | yuán yīn | cause; origin; root cause; reason; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 想要 | xiǎng yào | to want to; to feel like; to fancy; to care for sb; desirous of |
| 却 | què | old variant of 卻|却[que4]; but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline; to retreat; nevertheless; even though |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 愿 | yuàn | honest and prudent; variant of 願|愿[yuan4]; (bound form) wish; hope; desire; to be willing; to wish (that sth may happen); may ...; vow; pledge |
| 意 | yì | (bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense; (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind; (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 花钱 | huā qián | to spend money |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase |
| 还有 | hái yǒu | there still remain(s); there is (or are) still; in addition |
| 口袋 | kǒu dài | pocket; bag; sack |
| 实 | shí | real; true; honest; really; solid; fruit; seed; definitely |
| 没 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 钱 | Qián | surname Qian |
| 只是 | zhǐ shì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 好玩 | hǎo wán | amusing; fun; interesting |
| 一种 | yī zhǒng | one kind of; one type of |
| 游 | Yóu | surname You; to walk; to tour; to roam; to travel |
| 戏 | xì | variant of 戲|戏[xi4]; trick; drama; play; show; CL:齣|出[chu1],場|场[chang3],臺|台[tai2] |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 觉 | jiào | a nap; a sleep; CL:場|场[chang2] |
| 按 | ǎn | to press; to leave aside or shelve; to restrain; to check or refer to; in the light of |
| 照 | zhào | variant of 照[zhao4]; to shine; to illuminate; according to; in accordance with; to shine; to illuminate; to reflect; to look at (one's reflection); to take (a photo); photo; as requested; as before |
| 男女 | nán nu:3 | male-female; male and female |
| 例 | lì | example; precedent; rule; case; instance |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2]); fraction; one tenth (of cert… |
| 女 | nu:3 | female; woman; daughter |
| 性 | xǐng | nature; property; attribute; sex; suffix forming adjective from verb; essence |
| 男 | nán | (bound form) male; baron, the lowest of the five ranks of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4] |
| 相近 | xiāng jìn | close; similar to |
| 主要 | zhǔ yào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 食品 | shí pǐn | foodstuff; food; provisions |
| 分析 | fēn xī | to analyze; analysis; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 对于 | duì yú | regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 今 | jīn | now; the present time; current; contemporary; this (day, year etc) |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 不安 | bù ān | unpeaceful; unstable; uneasy; disturbed; restless; worried |
| 怀 | huāi | bosom; heart; to cherish; to carry (in the mind or womb); surname Huai |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 节 | jiē | see 節骨眼|节骨眼[jie1 gu5 yan3] |
| 俭 | jián | (bound form) frugal; thrifty |
| 动 | dòng | (of sth) to move; to set in movement; to displace; to touch; to make use of; to stir (emotions); to alter; abbr. for 動詞|动词[dong4 ci2], verb |
| 机 | Jī | surname Ji |
| 同时 | tóng shí | at the same time; simultaneously |
| 调 | diào | to transfer; to move (troops or cadres); to investigate; to enquire into; accent; view; argument; key (in music); mode (music); tune; tone; melody |
| 查 | Zhā | surname Zha |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 显示 | xiǎn shì | to show; to illustrate; to display; to demonstrate |
| 久 | jǐu | (of a period of time) long |
| 居 | Jū | surname Ju |
| 家 | jiā | used in 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5] and 傢俱|家俱[jia1 ju4]; home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for a specialist in some act… |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 社会 | shè huì | society |
| 归属 | guī shǔ | to belong to; to be affiliated to; to fall under the jurisdiction of; a place where one feels that one belongs; one's final destination (where one need look no further) |
| 长期 | cháng qī | long-term; for a protracted period |
| 孤独 | gū dú | lonely; solitary |
| 无助 | wú zhù | helpless; helplessness; feeling useless; no help |
| 导致 | dǎo zhì | to lead to; to create; to cause; to bring about |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 精神 | jīng shén | spirit; mind; consciousness; thought; mental; psychological; essence; gist; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 疲劳 | pí láo | fatigue; wearily; weariness; weary |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 度 | dù | to pass; to spend (time); measure; limit; extent; degree of intensity; degree (angles, temperature etc); kilowatt-hour; classifier for events and occurrences |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 放松 | fàng sōng | to relax; to slacken; to loosen |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 自制 | zì zhì | to maintain self-control; self-control |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind; intention; center; core; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
Japanese news agencies reported on the 27th that Japanese National Police Agency released information stating that more and more old people are joining the ranks [lit: procession] of thieves. In the past year, the number of people over the age of 65 who have stolen things from supermarkets and convenience stores has increased by 343 people (a 1.3% increase), with the total reaching 27,362 people, comprising 26% of all reported instances of theft, almost identical to the number (27%) of “Young Thieves” (14-19 year-olds).
Allegedly, among the reasons given by “Old thieves” who were caught, 71.8% said it was because they wanted the thing [they stole] but weren’t willing to pay money to buy it. Another 13.2% said it was because they didn’t have the money to buy it. An additional 0.9% of old people just thought it was fun, and [said] that it felt like a game. In terms of the proportion of men to women, 48.2% of the thieves were women, 51.8% were men, almost the same numbers.
Reports say that goods stolen by old people mostly consist of foodstuffs. National Police Agency analysis suggests that perhaps these old people are concerned about their future livelihoods, and their motivation to steal is based in “thriftiness”. At the same time, the investigation illustrates that these old people have lived for a long time without society’s support, lonely, isolated and without help, causing the excessive psychological fatigue which lead them to relax their self-control.