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17 Secret Codes & Symbols Used By Chinese Thieves & Burglars

by on Sunday, December 11, 2011 49 comments comments

From NetEase:

Chengdu police publish 17 codes/symbols used by thieves and burglars

Summary: Recently, Chengdu police made public 17 types of “casing markers/symbols”. “×” represents “plan operation”, ◇ represents “no one lives here”, a wavy line represents “beware of fierce dog”, while a rectangle with slashes represents “already thieved”. Police remind city residents to be on the lookout for secret symbols/signals made by thieves and to immediately report them to the police as well as remove them upon discovery.

Codes and symbols used by thieves and burglars in China when casing potential targets.

[Translation of the above Chinese:]

  • Plan operation
  • 4-5 units that can be thieved
  • Very wealthy
  • Dangerous, avoid
  • Beware of dog
  • Lots of police
  • Be careful of neighbors
  • Has alarm
  • Danger of being accidentally caught
  • No one on guard
  • No one lives here
  • Single female resident
  • 1 child, 2 females, 1 male
  • Household has someone who works in a government department
  • Nothing valuable worth stealing
  • Not necessary to enter
  • Already thieved

Comments from NetEase:

明天到操场操到天明 [网易浙江省杭州市网友]:

I bet that pile of coins drawing often appears in front of the homes of LD. I suggest thieves add a drawing of a helmet behind those coins to represent that it is safe, because LD won’t dare to report their homes being burglarized, so it is extremely safe.

赎罪的一休佛 [网易山东省济南市网友]:

You don’t need to be afraid of thieves, what is to be feared is being robbed “legally”.

网易广东省深圳市网友:

Anyone who wants to steal from me better not carry money on them. I’m far poorer than thieves and if they let me catch them, I’ll clean them out.

网易江苏省手机网友:

Everyone might as well draw a “already thieved” symbol on their door, to protect against thieves!

rwvtkk0 [网易浙江省温州市网友]:

These coded symbols are far less frightening than the ice cold word “demolish“, because you can still do your best to protect against these, but that ice cold “demolish” cannot be protected against by the people.

liyt67 [网易山东省济宁市网友]：

Are Sichuan’s burglar codes used universally throughout the country???

ueriowq [网易黑龙江省大庆市网友]:

May the police please publish their revised secret signals and codes, this I bet is already no longer used.

网易广东省东莞市网友 [baggioxiao]:

A household with someone who works in a government department actually has its own special symbol. How is this kind of household treated?

jszzx [网易江苏省网友]:

This kind of so-called “making public” is truly black humor. The moment you “make public”, what thief would still be so stupid as to continue using these already “made public” coded symbols? He would immediately change them! — Chengdu police think they are so smart, treating the ordinary common people like little children? Treating thieves as dummies?

网易浙江省嘉兴市网友:

I don’t care what kind of thief you are, you’re dead if I catch you, or at least half-dead! That or you kill me first.

Have you ever seen these coded signals or symbols? Has your home ever been burglarized? Have you ever caught a thief?

  • MonkeyMouth

    Be honest…..how many of you after reading this are going to go put the “Dangerous- Avoid’ symbol outside your door???

    Song of the Article:

    ‘Signs, Signs’

    5 Man Electric Band.

    Screw your sofa. Mine was stolen this morning/

    • Rick in China

      That’s the first thing I thought of, then thought maybe it’s an incorrect decipher and means wealthy or easy loot..

  • Foreign Devil

    I’m sure they avoid the “government department worker” homes. Because those are the only ones where the police will bother doing a full investigation

  • http://americanpolicesaresuck william lee

    american polices are fucking no good.i see drug dealers everywhere and gangs.polices in america are so corruptions,and racism.especially in southern states.fucking white police rob my family.white devils.they like only white.they hate other race.america will go to hell.white men are danger to the world.they love wars.u.s want wars with china,so they dont have to pay china money.they owe china trillions of dallors.

    • samort7

      Everyone should listen to this man. He speaks the truth.

    • JoE

      William Lee! Summon your cohorts and nine legions! It is time for you to ascend and become President of the United States!

    • donscarletti

      In the words of the great clippy: “it looks like you’re writing an anti-American rant, mind if I help?”

      About 3 months ago I posted on Chinasmack about how each race in America is categorically less attractive than their old world equivalents (e.g. Penelope Cruz is “Spanish”, if she was 3″ shorter and 15lbs heavier she would be “Hispanic”). This made quite a few readers upset and leave angry replies.

      Now, I like to troll all nationalities equally, but when trolling Americans I feel creativity is always the key, they tend to tune out stuff they’ve heard before from angry Arab guys on the news. What makes Americans world class targets for online trolling is that they just have so many fronts they are desperate to defend. Best to pick something trivial but unique. For example, have you tried Hershey’s chocolate? It’s not bad by any means, but it’s not that outstanding either, however many Americans consider it an “icon”. Most will not get very upset if you say that it’s the fourth best brand in China behind two local labels and a European one, but you just need one or two people to get upset to make you laugh. N.b. obviously untrue since Chinese domestic chocolate tastes completely awful, but plausible for someone to think that.

      But the main thing that pisses Americans off to think about is the dwindling applicability of the things that made their nation great 50 years ago.
      -GM/Chrysler making cars nobody wants. For bonus points, mention how many cars for the US market are made in Canada and Mexico.
      -American health system so broken that international health insurance policies that cover medical evacuation from the heart of Africa and surgery in Luxembourg do not cover travel to the US without additional premium.
      -America’s most enduring achievement, the moon landing was overseen by a Nazi weapons designer. Since then space policy has been dictated by pork barrel spending on cancelled projects.

      So there you go, trolling like a pro. Remember, it doesn’t have to be true, just plausible.
      Or ask an Australian, British or Canadian. Those countries are like a group of plaintive workers on smoke break. Always remembering a list of the mistakes the boss made and what makes him a jackass, but still willing to put in 8 hours of hard work for him 5 days a week.

      • marsvin

        I wasn’t going to respond until you brought Wernher von Braun into it. I mean ok the man worked for the Americans but with all he’s accomplished and so many years after his death can’t we move on from that embarrassment?

      • Brett Hunan

        You are gonna have to try harder to get us Americans riled up. I don’t see anything that makes me particularly upset here.

        The US healthcare system sucks ass and Americans have more bones to pick with it than any lame-ass vacationers do.

        Personally, Hershey’s symphony is one of the smoothest chocolates I have ever eaten.

        The moon- when your country’s people walk on it, you can talk.

        Anyways, plenty of ways to get people butthurt. You just have to think of some better ones.

        • Tengu

          Brett, they’re still excited about the used aircraft carrier (singular) they bought, they need some time to gloat!

        • Just John

          Know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna get myself a 1967 Cadillac El Dorado, hot-fuckin’-pink, with whaleskin hubcaps and all-leather cow interior and big brown baby seal eyes for headlights… yeah! And I’m gonna drive around in that baby doing 115 miles an hour, getting 1 mile per gallon, suckin’ down quarter pound cheeseburgers from McDonald’s in the old-fashioned non-biodegradable styrofoam containers… yeah!

          And when I’m done suckin’ down those greaseball burgers I’m gonna toss the styrofoam containers right out the side, and there ain’t a goddamn thing anybody can do about it. You know why?

          Because we got the bombs, that’s why… yeah! Two words–nuclear fuckin’ weapons, OK? Russia, Czechoslovakia, Romania, they can have all the democracy they want…they can have a democracy cakewalk right through the middle of
          Tienamen Square and it won’t make a lick of fuckin’ difference, because we got the bombs, OK?

          • mr. weiner

            [sings] You’re an ass-hole, ee-o, ee-o, ee-o.

      • curl of the burl

        To Willy Lee,

        I don’t give a crap about USA too much but, actually, overall I haven’t found many sources that criticize America better than Americans.

        They have whole TV shows, channels, comedy programs, lobby groups, web pages, celebrities and paper media solely for the purpose of criticizing and taking the piss out of the grand ole US of A. There own people go out and shoot senators, children and police.

        In comparison, trolling is way down on the list.

        As far as I can see, you’re speaking from experience? If that is the case then you’re merely joining a long list of people who are extremely unsatisfied with the way the country is governed. Hence the occupy wall street movement.

        So, in conclusion, go buddy! Help the reform process and make your voice heard! If you live there then it’s your country too! You’re not a sheep! Speak up! Stand up and protect your rights! You make a difference! Your resolute stance on justice, corruption and human rights is more than welcome in
        America!

        BTW Who is actually happy with the way their country is governed?? Atleast we can voice our disapproval like this fine young man and practically try to effect change.

      • Tengu

        Hershey’s sucks. You need to try Belgian chocolate, “Leonidas” is a good one or handmade, my family has a pastry and a chocolate place in Italy.

        Saying it’s the fourth best chocolate in China is like saying your kid is one of the smartest kind on the short bus!

        I loved the Penelope Cruz reference…bravo!

      • Somethin Somethin

        Come on boyo, you aren’t firing on all 8 cylinders. You wanna hit us in the bread basket, then go for the throat. Pick out some good stuff. Be topical even. Things like the Charlton Heston flick about the boxer uprising or John Wayne in ‘the Green Berets’ circa 1968. My Lai and Wounded Knee? We’ve got plenty to burn us for. Our shitty public schools and broken healthcare system are so blase. The fact that it took us more than a century after abolishing slavery to elect a black president? Now there’s a good troll treat. But really at the end of the day trolling is for assholes(did I just troll?)

    • Bereaver

      You’re a great comedian William Lee.

    • Alikese

      Damnit, I was going to register http://www.americanpolicesaresuck.com/ but it looks like William Lee beat me to the punch

    • John Wayne

      Whites robbing? Try being in a nigger infested city by yourself and see how that works out for ya. HA! Anyways, Whitey always pays on their loans. The nig nogs don’t.

      • SuperHappyCow

        You really hate yourself, don’t you?

      • mr. weiner

        Gosh John, that last contribution of yours helped a lot. Thanks for using the N-word. It always has such a soothing effect.
        In your own way you are just like that twit “Ace” who used to come on here all the time and say “white trash” [doubtlessly whilst beating off like chimp].
        For the record I think WL is a narrow minded fool, but I hate racists of every stripe.

        • GodsHammer

          Dear John Wayne. I know you’re trolling…not very deep either, but I’ll bite.

          America is up to it’s anus in financial problems because Nigger (that’s with a capital N to you caveworm) defaulted on loans? Are we kidding? How many black people actually RE-FINANCED their homes (if they owned them to begin with) compared to ‘regular’ white-bread “middle-class” people? Who the hell invented the ‘refinancing program’? A few obscenely rich people (of all colors I might add) on Wall Street, who figured a way to bamboozle the average 9-5, Joe Lunchbucket and Sally Screwdriver out of his/her life savings and inheritance. And then to top it all off…when they bet the wrong way and LOST all your money, they rigged “your government” (of the people, by the people, for the people…hahahaha) to force YOU into paying them for the pleasure!

          All this happened on your watch JOHN WAYNE. So, while you go on with your pathetic 1950′s Mississippi charade about hating NIGGERS (let’s be honest it is an act, because despite your internet bravado, you’re likely to STFU when you meet NIGGERS in public), the powers that actually have a say are lumping all of us in one big cauldron. Black, WHite, Yellow, Brown, or a spackled shit Ginger… you’re all SUCKERS! You are the new NIGGERS on the block my pale nigga, so you should realize that the NEW definition of NIGGER, is AMERICAN TAXPAYER.

    • Patrick

      Racism! Those fucking WHITE devils, wait how about some stones in glass houses. Or maybe, pot calling the kettle BLACK. Racism is an easy excuse for anything. I’m sure there are many bad black and hispanic cops. Damn Irish cops always get plastered on the job and you can bet more than one Italian is on the take. As a recovering white devil I made it my mission to not hate on race. So naturally I look for the positives. I try and avoid stupid racial stereotypes (except for the funny ones – gotta laugh sometimes right?). I’m also not big on being a grammatical cop – but please spend a little more time before hitting that submit button.

    • Knots and Rope

      “the right to bear arm” use it. Rely on yourself, during the LA riots nobody f*cked with the Koreans.

      • donscarletti

        Well, the point is, they _did_ fuck with the Koreans, in fact I’m pretty sure that was the main group that the rioters were out to get. Now, I think the LA Korean community was pretty badass during that event, but they would not have been targeted so much had that shopkeeper not shot that black girl for shoplifting. Violence does not solve problems.

        • mr. weiner

          I thought the L.A riots were about the cops who kicked the shite out of Rodney King getting off scott free, was there some other incident?

          • donscarletti

            Yeah, quite a few. Rodney King was why the rioters were pissed off at the police, but the whole Black vs. Korean thing was mainly sparked by an incident where a 15 year old black girl was in a store and got into a fight with the elder, female Korean store owner and after some yelling and pushing, she turned to leave the store when the shopkeeper blew her head off. Despite clear video evidence, the shopkeeper was given probation for involuntary manslaughter and went back to Korea. Lots of African Americans were more than slightly upset with this verdict. You can google it, I’d give you a wikipedia link but it seems to have been harmonised.

          • http://www.vpnforchina.com Rod

            Wait, WTF do the LA riots have to do with blacks and koreans? I guess that’s the beauty of America. Everybody hating everybody.

          • Somethin Somethin

            Dude the Rodney King riots went straight into Korea town. Look at a map. One of the major issues of racial tension was over the fact that Korean immigrants were moving into what had been a traditionally black area of LA. The violence which followed was largely directed at this area and at these people. In the years after people accused LAPD of not protecting the rights of the community. Rodney King was the straw that broke the camels back.

        • Anon E Moose

          Violence does not solve problems ?

          I beg to differ.

          According to 1996 FBI stats on homicide, African-Americans are 10 X to be killed than their white counterparts. And the perpetrateurs are 9 out of 10 likely to be their fellow African-Americans.

          This addresses the problem of reducing a resentful, violence-prone, inner-city minority population.

          Now if China is serious about their minority populations in Xinjiang province, then they should provide/subsidize guns, drugs, porn, and welfare to their local Uyghur population.

          • mr. weiner

            Nope , they’ll use the chinese method instead and ship in more chinese until they’ve bred them out.

    • Anon E Moose

      No he should be in one of those TV ads for meds. He is speaking crazy talk, so crazy so good he should be TV spokesperson.

  • 张

    Sounds like the Thieves’ Guild in the Elder Scrolls series. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Bethesda stole this marking system from some historical precedent — let me know if you know anything.

    • marsvin

      I dunno about the specific set Bethesda uses but thieves markings and secret languages have been a staple of European culture since at least the middle ages and most likely long before. I imagine China is no different.

  • M.N

    Song of the article
    Snoop Dogg feat Justin Timberlake – Signs

  • syamsul

    it’s the human error without thinking the human right. the big ones force the innocent ones. so it could be consulted to the expert lawyers. knowing that everyone has the right to live freely and peacefully as well as living in harmony. if the people love corruptions, wars and hate one another, the social community will be damaged. so open wide the truth through the fair institution

  • Ben

    Is there a symbol for “If you can see this, there is probably a shotgun that is already pointed in your general direction” ..??

    • mystery_man

      Two circles side by side?

  • Senbee

    I think this is a urban legend. We have the same in Italy, they say it’s gipsy’s code (there’s often racism in urban legends).
    This legend started to circulate more than 30 years ago, I still remember people talking about it when I was in primary school, more than 30 years ago.

    This is a link in Italian, you can translate it with Google Translate, it’s an investigation about this notorious hoax:
    http://www.attivissimo.net/antibufala/zingari/segni.htm

  • Cleo

    In a corrupt environment fostered by lack of opportunities, everyone’s eyes are out for the main chance. Reminds me of how many people were gang members in “World Without Thieves.”

  • Justin

    They look like the Hobo codes that were used in the 30s by people riding the rails. But the hobo codes usually meant something like “Good Eats” or “Work”

  • Phil

    It’s an urban legend that went around Korea too.

  • http://weibo.com/biorocco bigrocco

    Reminds of American Hobo Symbols…is this a case of life imitating art or another local knock off? http://www.hobo.com/museum/symbols.html

    • http://www.vpnforchina.com Rod

      WTF. There’s even a HOBO . com. I guess everything is possible.

  • lou

    the thieves society has organized a system to help other thieves to communicate with each other. to help them act more efficiently. you can use this symbols to tell other thieves to FOOL THEM AND GO AWAY FROM YOU.

    you can use these for:
    “Not necessary to enter”
    “Lots of police”
    “Already thieved”
    “Danger of being accidentally caught”
    “Dangerous, avoid”
    “Nothing valuable worth stealing”

  • http://www.vpnforchina.com Rod

    If these guys are so f*ing clever, why don’t they do something positive? Form a union? Start a revolution? I think this probably just one small group of people in one area of the country.

    Just media doing its thing.

  • http://www.whiteknightstudio.com Symbolseeker

    These remind me of the well known hobo symbol system. Symbols are an ancient form of communication, used a lot for closed-system communications between “those who know”. And comments that they would be changed after exposure are correct. But it takes time to spread the new ones.

  • Xiongmao

    Crime is on the rise all over in China. Local villages, tier 1 cities pickpocketing, assaults. We just don’t hear so much about it. With inflation hitting 8-9 percent, the price of meat, vegetables and other foods going up insanely and the amount of people who can’t use their education to anything as well as the number of nong mins migrating to the city without any training or education it’s really no wonder.

    • Anon

      Time to revert to the Iron Rice Bowl system. State run Kitchens should be set up for free food distribution with free food from State run organic farms. State built housing. Free education.

      And all of the above should be built with NO FRILLS – Soviet style.

      Bring back those Mao suits make all supporting work voluntary. I.e. one day’s assignment allows one to eat and use all of the above facilities for free.

      The wealthier or class conscious of course will shun association but this bit of nostalgia will save many lives and create a backbone of society that all nations worldwide could follow.

      In other words a dual system – Socialism for the lowest common denominator, and Capitalism (with maximum wealth asset limits so that wealth sequestration will not occur) for the upwardly mobile.

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