贪多务得 — “To be greedy for much and eager to obtain it all”

贪多务得 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be greedy for much and eager to obtain it all”. To attempt to grasp too many things at once, often leading to a lack of depth or quality; to bite off more than one can chew. Literally, “Greedy for much, striving to obtain”.

Frequency

贪多务得 Pronunciation and Pinyin

贪多务得 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
贪	tān	8	greedy or covetous
多	duō	6	many, much, more
务	wù	6	affair, business, must
得	dé	11	obtain, must, or suitable

Example Sentence with 贪多务得

在时学习新知识，我们应该注重理解和消化，而不是贪多务得，那样反而效果不佳。

When learning new knowledge, we should focus on understanding and digesting it thoroughly, rather than trying to grasp too much too quickly, which often leads to superficial learning and unsatisfactory outcomes.

Origin and Story of 贪多务得

Han Yu, a prose master of the Tang Dynasty, passed the imperial examination at the age of 24 and became an official in Chang'an, the capital. His career in the officialdom was not smooth, and at 45, he was demoted back to Chang'an to serve as a Doctor of the National Academy.

He lectured to students, drawing extensively from various sources and speaking with great eloquence, which made him very popular.

In his essay 'An Exhortation on Learning' (《进学解》), he emphasized: 'Skill is perfected through diligence and ruined by play; conduct is established through contemplation and destroyed by impulsiveness.' He stressed that one should not be 'greedy for much and eager to obtain it all' when it comes to academic pursuits.