Why do we often call a thief "three hands"?

Because people who steal things have one more hand than ordinary people, both hands of ordinary people are used for work or daily chores, and thieves steal things besides doing these things, but their actions are relatively hidden and not easy to be found. In fact, "three hands" is used to satirize the statements of these thieves and their theft.

There is also a folk story about "Three Hands". At that time, during the heyday of the Northern Song Dynasty, there was an unknown thief in the underworld. Because the rule on the road is that you are not allowed to inquire about a person's name, nor can you trace a person's life, so no one knows the thief's name. At that time, thieves liked to sharpen copper coins to steal other people's property, which was a common trick of thieves throughout the ages, and took out their own pockets.

Once, the thief was performing his stealing skills for his peers. The thief held his hands high, but when he approached a person, he got something from that person effortlessly, as if he had another hand besides the two raised hands, but people couldn't see it. After watching his performance, everyone admired the thief and gave him "three hands"? Nickname.

Speaking of this thief, he also had a relationship with Fan Zhongyan. At that time, the thief accidentally stole Fan Zhongyan's money, and he regretted it very much, because the "third-hand" thief had a rule, that is, he could not steal from loyal ministers, poor people and good women, otherwise it would be against his ancestral teachings. Later, the thief not only returned Fan Zhongyan's money several times, but also apologized to him, which made Fan Zhongyan very moved.