What does 为富不仁 mean?

为富不仁 (wéi fù bù rén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be rich and heartless”.

How do you pronounce 为富不仁?

为富不仁 is pronounced wéi fù bù rén in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 为富不仁 literally mean?

Literally, 为富不仁 means “to be rich but not benevolent”. It is used to mean “to be rich and heartless”.

Where does 为富不仁 come from?

为富不仁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 为富不仁?

为：做，引伸为谋求。剥削者为了发财致富，心狠手毒，没有一点儿仁慈的心肠。

为富不仁 — “To be rich and heartless”

为富不仁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be rich and heartless”. To be ruthless in the pursuit of wealth and show no benevolence. Literally, “To be rich but not benevolent”.

Frequency

为富不仁 Pronunciation and Pinyin

为wéi
富fù
不bù
仁rén

为富不仁 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
为	wéi	4	to be or to do
富	fù	12	rich, wealthy, abundant
不	bù	4	not
仁	rén	4	benevolence, empathy, humanity

Example Sentence with 为富不仁

那位商人为了扩大自己的产业，不惜压榨员工，真是为富不仁。

That businessman exploited his employees to expand his business, truly embodying the phrase 'rich but ruthless'.

Origin and Story of 为富不仁

During the Warring States period, the ruler of the state of Teng wished to implement benevolent governance. His subordinates recommended Mencius, and the ruler humbly sought his advice on how to achieve this.

Mencius explained that those who are solely focused on accumulating wealth cannot practice benevolent governance, stating the principle that 'the rich are not benevolent, and the benevolent are not rich.'

He further advised that a ruler who practices benevolent governance imposes taxes with moderation; only when the common people are prosperous can the state truly become strong and wealthy.

Idioms Related to 为富不仁

Synonyms of 为富不仁

Antonyms of 为富不仁

wéi为rén仁bù不fù富Benevolent people are not wealthy

More idioms starting with 为

Questions about 为富不仁

What does 为富不仁 mean?: 为富不仁 (wéi fù bù rén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be rich and heartless”.
How do you pronounce 为富不仁?: 为富不仁 is pronounced wéi fù bù rén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 为富不仁 literally mean?: Literally, 为富不仁 means “to be rich but not benevolent”. It is used to mean “to be rich and heartless”.
Where does 为富不仁 come from?: 为富不仁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 为富不仁?: 为：做，引伸为谋求。剥削者为了发财致富，心狠手毒，没有一点儿仁慈的心肠。

Copy the pinyin for 为富不仁 →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.