qiè

secretly

Original meaning: 

to steal rice

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "to steal rice". The meaning of this character has shifted over time and now means "secretly".

Components
穴 meaning component

  Meaning component

xué

  

cave

䊪 sound,meaning component

  Sound Meaning component

  

unpolished rice

Evolution

竊 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
竊 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
竊 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

() 

qiè

secretly, stealthily; steal; thief; to steal; secretly; (humble) I

Most common words with 竊
Freq.
Word
Meaning

盗窃

to steal

to steal

偷窃

to steal

窃听器

bug

窃听

to eavesdrop

Sources

李学勤《字源》p.648

季旭昇《說文新證》p.580-581