惟利是图 — “Seek only profit”
惟利是图 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be solely motivated by profit, disregarding all other considerations; to put profit above all else”. Literally, “Seek only profit”.
Frequency
惟利是图 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 惟wéi
- 利lì
- 是shì
- 图tú
惟利是图 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 惟利是图
那个商人为了赚取暴利，不惜生产劣质产品，真是惟利是图。
That merchant, in pursuit of exorbitant profits, did not hesitate to produce substandard products, truly being bent on nothing but profit.
Origin and Story of 惟利是图
In 580 BC, Duke Huan of Qin and Duke Li of Jin signed a friendly alliance, agreeing to peaceful coexistence between their two states.
However, before the ink on the treaty was even dry, Duke Huan of Qin sent envoys to the Di and Chu states, inciting them to attack Jin. Duke Li of Jin dispatched Lü Xiang to Qin to protest, accusing Duke Huan of being solely intent on profit and arrogant.
Soon after, war broke out between the two states.
Idioms Related to 惟利是图
Synonyms of 惟利是图
More idioms starting with 惟
- wéi惟yī一wéi惟jīng精single-minded and extremely meticulous
- wéi惟yì义shì是cóng从Obey only what is righteous
- wéi惟lì利shì是mìng命driven solely by profit
- wéi惟lì利shì是qiú求seek only profit
- wéi惟lì利shì是yíng营to be solely motivated by profit
- wéi惟lì利shì是shì视to care only for profit
- wéi惟lì利shì是qū趋driven solely by profit
- wéi惟lì利shì是zhú逐solely driven by profit
- wéi惟lì力shì是shì视act according to one's capabilities
- wéi惟kǒu口qǐ起xiū羞Careless speech brings shame
- wéi惟mìng命shì是cóng从Obey every command implicitly
- wéi惟mìng命shì是tīng听to obey every command without question
Questions about 惟利是图
- What does 惟利是图 mean?
- 惟利是图 (wéi lì shì tú) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be solely motivated by profit, disregarding all other considerations; to put profit above all else”.
- How do you pronounce 惟利是图?
- 惟利是图 is pronounced wéi lì shì tú in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 惟利是图 literally mean?
- Literally, 惟利是图 means “Seek only profit”. It is used to mean “to be solely motivated by profit, disregarding all other considerations; to put profit above all else”.
- Where does 惟利是图 come from?
- 惟利是图 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 惟利是图?
- 一心为利，别的什么都不顾。