The Chinese word **盗贼** (dàozéi) is a compound noun formed by combining two semantically similar characters: **盗** (dào), which originally denotes a thief who steals by stealth or deception, and **贼** (zéi), which historically refers to a robber who uses force or violence, often extended to mean a traitor or rebel. Together, they create a single, more comprehensive term that broadly means "bandits, robbers, or thieves," encompassing both the concepts of stealthy theft and open plunder. This type of word formation, where two near-synonyms are paired to express a general category, is common in Chinese to reinforce or expand a core meaning.