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淘金 (táo jīn) — to pan for gold; (figurative) to seek quick profits or a fortune

Definition

Literally 'to pan for gold'; now used figuratively for chasing quick money or big profits in a hot market. Only the literal sense is a real physical activity; the figurative sense is far more common in modern usage.

verb
to pan for gold(figurative) to seek quick profits or a fortune

Examples

  • 。
    Tā zài hé biān táo le yí cì jīn.
    He panned for gold once by the river.
  • 淘金。
    Shí jiǔ shì jì hěn duō rén qù xī bù táo jīn.
    In the 19th century, many people went west to pan for gold.
  • 淘金。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī xiǎng zài hù lián wǎng shì chǎng táo jīn.
    This company wants to seek profits in the internet market.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

淘táosift
金jīngold

淘 sifts or washes material to obtain 金, gold.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
匋
匋táo淘táo
Same sound today

淘 is built from 氵, a water form, and 匋, which gives the sound táo.

Open 淘 →

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

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →
Appears in
Money & Currency

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