寇

Noun: A raider, marauder, or bandit. In military contexts, "the enemy," specifically foreign invaders. There is often an implicit charge of illegitimacy; the term typically denotes a predatory force rather than a formal state army.

Verb: To invade, raid, or attack. This implies an incursion into territory where the actor has no right to be.

As a verb, it is transitive, taking the raided territory or people as its object.

Contrast with 盜 (dào) and 賊 (zéi): While //dào// typically implies secret theft and //zéi// suggests internal betrayal or rebellion, //kòu// emphasizes an external force arriving with violence.

Contrast with 攻 (gōng) and 侵 (qīn): //Gōng// refers to formal warfare or a strategic attack; //qīn// focuses on the violation of boundaries or gradual encroachment. //Kòu// is specifically predatory.

Semantic variant: U+5BBC.

The presence of the 夊 (slow walking/feet) radical reinforces the sense of an entity arriving from a distance to commit aggression.

In many contexts, the distinction between "bandit" (criminal) and "enemy" (foreign soldier) is intentionally blurred; the enemy is characterized as a bandit by the very act of violating the border. Unless the text explicitly distinguishes between criminal activity and state warfare, maintain this tension in translation.