势利眼 (shì lì yǎn) — snob (person); snobbery (attitude)

Definition

Colloquial noun for a 'snob' (the person) or 'snobbishness' (the attitude) — judging others by money or status. As an attitude it's a mass noun; as a person it takes 个.

noun
snob (person)snobbery (attitude)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 势利眼，。
    Tā zhēn shì gè shì lì yǎn, zhī kàn qián bú kàn rén.
    He's such a snob; he only looks at money, not at people.
  • 势利眼。
    Wǒ tǎo yàn tā de shì lì yǎn xíng wéi.
    I hate her snobbish behavior.
  • 势利眼。
    Tā de shì lì yǎn ràng tā méi shén me péng you.
    His snobbery leaves him with few friends.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

势利snobbishness
势shìpower利lìprofit
联合Side by side
眼yǎneye

“势” is power and “利” is profit, and “眼” is eye, so the image is an eye that looks at power and profit.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

利 combines 禾 (grain) and 刀 (knife), showing a knife used to cut grain.

Open 利 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn眼yǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Open 眼 →

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