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贪得无厌
贪得无厌
贪得无厌
贪得无厌
贪得无厌
贪得无厌
贪得无厌
贪得无厌

贪得无厌 — “To be insatiably greedy”

贪得无厌 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be insatiably greedy”. Never satisfied with what one has; to always want more. Literally, “greedy and never satisfied”.

Frequency

贪得无厌 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 贪tān
  • 得dé
  • 无wú
  • 厌yàn

贪得无厌 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
贪
tān8greedy or covetous
得
dé11obtain, must, or suitable
无
wú4without, not having
厌
yàn6dislike, detest, be weary of

Example Sentence with 贪得无厌

他总是对财富贪得无厌,即使已经拥有很多,也从不满足。
He is always insatiably greedy for wealth; even though he already has a lot, he is never satisfied.

Origin and Story of 贪得无厌

During the late Spring and Autumn period, the Zhou Dynasty's rule disintegrated, and various feudal lords became independent, establishing their own territories. The State of Jin was one of the more powerful among them. Jin had six high ministers: Zhao Xiangzi, Wei Huanzi, Han Kangzi, Fan Shi, Zhi Bo, and Zhonghang Shi. Among them, Zhi Bo was very ambitious, constantly trying to expand his sphere of influence.

He first allied with Han, Zhao, and Wei to attack Zhonghang Shi, forcibly seizing Zhonghang Shi's land. A few years later, he compelled Han Kangzi to cede a fiefdom with ten thousand households. Next, he coerced Wei Huanzi, who had no choice but to surrender land for peace.

After acquiring land from these three high ministers, Zhi Bo became complacent, believing everyone feared him. He then demanded Zhao Xiangzi cede the areas of Cai and Gaolang. Zhao Xiangzi firmly refused.

Enraged, Zhi Bo coerced Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi to jointly attack Zhao Xiangzi. The two sides were in a standoff at Jinyang for three years. Zhao Xiangzi adopted the strategy of his advisor, Zhang Mengtan, persuading Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi to unite with him. They launched a night raid, surprising Zhi Bo and killing him.

Because of his extreme greed and insatiable desire, Zhi Bo ultimately met a tragic end.

Idioms Related to 贪得无厌

Synonyms of 贪得无厌

  • dé得cùn寸jìn进chǐ尺insatiably greedy
  • tān贪xīn心bù不zú足insatiably greedy

Antonyms of 贪得无厌

  • yī一chén尘bù不rǎn染pure and unsullied
  • zhī知zú足cháng常lè乐Contentment brings happiness

More idioms starting with 贪

  • tān贪wèi位qǔ取róng容covet position and curry favor
  • tān贪wèi位mù慕lù禄greedy for power and wealth
  • tān贪mào冒róng荣chǒng宠Covet glory and favor
  • tān贪lì利wàng忘yì义greedy for profit, forgetting righteousness
  • tān贪gōng功qǐ起xìn衅Provoke conflict for personal credit
  • tān贪chī吃lǎn懒zuò做gluttonous and lazy
  • tān贪míng名tú图lì利covet fame and pursue profit
  • tān贪míng名ài爱lì利greedy for fame and gain
  • tān贪míng名zhú逐lì利covet fame and pursue profit
  • tān贪lì吏huá猾xū胥corrupt and cunning minor officials
  • tān贪tú图ān安yì逸hanker after ease and comfort
  • tān贪mò墨zhī之fēng风prevailing atmosphere of corruption and bribery

Questions about 贪得无厌

What does 贪得无厌 mean?
贪得无厌 (tān dé wú yàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be insatiably greedy”.
How do you pronounce 贪得无厌?
贪得无厌 is pronounced tān dé wú yàn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 贪得无厌 literally mean?
Literally, 贪得无厌 means “greedy and never satisfied”. It is used to mean “to be insatiably greedy”.
Where does 贪得无厌 come from?
贪得无厌 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 贪得无厌?
厌:满足。贪心永远没有满足的时候。
Copy the pinyin for 贪得无厌 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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